Jeff Young: 'If Mustaine Was Pinocchio, You Could Watch His Nose Grow'

Jeff Young continues the revelatory conversation which sheds light on his account of events, such as departing Megadeth, and the various allegations Young and Dave Mustaine have made against one another concerning that period from 1987 to 1989.
The beginning of the interview can be found at the following location.
UG: Would it be ok if we go through these allegations you've both made against one another?Jeff Young: Yeah.
First of all, I'd like to touch on the one you obviously mentioned earlier, which is related to Megadeth's cancelled 1988 Australian tour, and is how the recent spat came about. Dave Mustaine alleged that Megadeth's 1988 Australian tour was cancelled because you ran out of heroin. What's your side of the story?
My side of the story is that it's a pile of bullcrap. The Australian tour was cancelled so Dave could go back to LA. He ran out of heroin; exactly what he's saying is true, but it's him who ran out of heroin. It's him who wanted to get back to LA, and that's that. That's the story. I mean, we were all homesick. We had all been on tour probably, by that time, by a year and a quarter, so he didn't have to twist our arms too badly. It was the first time the band had ever gone to Australia, and the dates would be only days away. You're in Japan, and you're flying to Australia.
We had maybe one or two more Japanese gigs left, because we were there several days, and he had brought some heroin in shampoo bottles over there, and he ran out. Then he was drinking absinthe to try to keep from crashing, and then he knew there wasn't gonna be anything for him in Australia. We're all in a room in Japan, and he says this, that and the other, and we all said "Yeah, whatever - it's your band". I mean, be real. If he's the general, and it's his band, and he calls the shots, do you really believe that I could talk that band into cancelling that tour? For any reason? Do you think I had that much power in that band?
Well, it's not for me to say really.
I'm just saying that common sense tells you that that wasn't the case. There was no heroin going down for me. In Japan, I had tried a couple of lines, but I didn't like blow and I never did. I think when you're partying, and you got Slash on one side and Mustaine on the other... I mean, I gave it a go a couple of times, but it wasn't my baggage at that time in the band. I remember I took a hit off a joint once on the bus, and it just wasn't my frequency at the time. I was really obsessed with the guitar, and was just like a one-track mind. That's all I thought about, and it's all I cared about.
I'd be in my bunk listening to all the Shrapnel guys, Varney's guys in the bunks, and anything that was cool from Europe, or any of the cool new bands I was discovering on tour and stuff. I was just playing guitar, and the Australian thing is just something where he went down there. I don't know if they'd been down there before, and if... I'm sure you've seen, or at least it isn't hard to find, court documents from the lawsuit between Junior and Dave.
I'm aware of that lawsuit, yeah.
There's thirty-six pages, and you can see it all in there. I didn't know that he made those accusations about me cancelling the tour, or that it was my fault. I didn't know at the time, but have only learnt since reading the court documents between Junior and Dave that he cancelled other tours for rehab - two tours and then another third tour. That makes four tours that he's just gone out on a whim and cancelled, one of which was because he wanted to go out with AC/DC as it was his childhood dream.
Bailing a tour to go to rehab sucks, but bailing a tour to go out with AC/DC I can almost understand, because I love AC/DC too. But my thing is, if you're in Japan and you're about to go to Australia, you got promoters that have paid. Money has been spent. It's just like what happened with Michael Jackson when he passed away; think of how much money was spent, and now there's no band. That put him in a bad position in Australia, and I don't know... I haven't followed the band in that time. After the 'So Far, So Good... So What!' tour, and this time this year when he was in Australia and made these bogus claims, I don't know if they had ever gone to Australia since then or if this was their first time back in Australia. You probably know better than me, and could probably find out through research. But the thing is, he went down there and his ass is in a sling because he cancelled a tour. He's Megadeth, he's the project manager, he's the guy, the boss, and he's gone "Ok, I don't want the blame. So who am I gonna blame?", and that's the Wheel of Blame, Dave Mustaine. So he spins the wheel, and it lands on my name. "Jeff Young! Jeff Young!... Yeah Jeff, you're to blame for the tour - you were on heroin!"

"The Australian tour was cancelled so Dave could go back to LA. He ran out of heroin."

Apart from snorting a few lines of cocaine and smoking a joint once, were there any other occasions on which you tried drugs?
No. I wasn't into it, and it wasn't my frequency. When I was younger in high school, I smoked weed but when I moved out to go to G. I. T. I was looking at my band; it was cool, and we were playing around the Midwest. We'd rehearse every day, and then smoke weed, and then we'd go play some local gigs. We even got as far as playing the World's Fair in Tennessee one year, but one day, we ended up with an alcoholic singer and I just was over it. That was the day I remember like it was yesterday. I lived with my drummer at the time upstairs; I was practising, and I had this mirror that I put on a door where my clothes were so I could see my hands - I could look at my hands when I played. I was sitting there playing, and I said "I'm done". I stopped smoking pot, and thought "I'm gonna do this: I'm gonna go to California, I'm gonna move to LA, and I'm gonna go to G. I. T.". I went home to my parents that day, and said "Mom, dad - I wanna go to G. I. T.".
I stopped partying, and that was '84. Megadeth was '87, '88, '89, so I was totally clean for all that time, and like I said, I tried a joint on the bus one time and I just didn't feel it. I was over it at that time. Maybe I had a drink here and there, but I just wasn't into it. It wasn't my frequency at the time because I was obsessed with anything that you put in your body is gonna detract from your playing, and that's how I am now. I don't drink, I don't drink coffee. I don't wanna be hyper, even from coffee or caffeine or sugar. I wanna be just neutral because I think to play guitar at your best, you don't wanna be affected one way or the other. You don't wanna be down, you don't wanna be thrashed - you wanna be neutral.
I look up to Miles Davis, and I look up to Chris Poland. He was a junkie, and I thought "I'm playing his solos... I gotta feel what it feels like to feel what Chris felt, like method acting. So I snorted a couple of lines, and it was cool. It was a great buzz. I can tell you don't ever do it, because it's one of the best buzzes on the planet. You can see the long list of stories, from Miles Davis to Kurt Cobain to Dave Mustaine to whoever the hell else... Janis Joplin. I mean, it'll get you. I don't really have an addictive personality; I'll try something and I'll say "That's cool", like smoking when I was a kid. I tried it, and I thought "That's cool, but I'm not into that".
So basically, you're saying what Dave Mustaine said about you being a heroin addict is bullshit then?
Exactly, in a word. I couldn't have said it better myself.
There's also other allegations Dave Mustaine has made against you, so I'd like to go through them as well. One allegation was that you phoned his girlfriend at the time... Did you hear of that allegation?
I know about that with Diana.
Dave alleged that you phoned her, and said to her: "I fantasize about having sex with you when I have sex with my girlfriend".
Well.. is this for a guitar magazine?
For a guitar website, yeah - Ultimate-Guitar.com.
That never happened. This dude was freebasing twenty-four / seven at the time this allegedly happened. Have you ever met anyone that's freebased, or seen a documentary about freebasing?
To be honest with you Jeff, I don't know much about drugs - it's not my scene really.
It's a drug that makes you so paranoid and so delusional that you don't know what's what. Nikki Sixx, when he was in rehab talking to Dave... It's probably in Nikki's book. I haven't read it, but if you know his book, I can imagine there's probably a chapter where he talks about the story he told Mustaine in rehab, where he said "I got so paranoid that I put security perimeters around my house. I had machine guns and stuff, and I'd sit in my security room looking at all the cameras on my grounds - I was so paranoid". Dave was paranoid that I was gonna take over his band, because I wrote two songs that would've been on 'Rust In Peace'. He was afraid that I was trying to get with his girlfriend, because he was freebasing and standing over his bathroom sink twenty-four hours a day. Yeah, his girlfriend used to call me and cry on my shoulder, but that quote that you said is one of Dave's fantasies. He has no memory of that time, I can promise you that - at least not an accurate memory. There was gonna be no thing with Diana. I just can't talk about it too much without... Diana has a family, she has relatives. Maybe Diana doesn't want some of the stuff that I know put out there.
Obviously, we have to protect the privacy of others. Basically though, Dave's allegation that you phoned her and said you fantasize about having sex with her isn't true?
I was being a friend to her. I was being a friend because her boyfriend was hung over the sink freebasing twenty-four / seven, and she was crying. I had a girlfriend. Diana was calling me, and nothing happened. We talked on the phone a few times. If Dave wants to twist it, he can twist every story into something that's a hundred times more than it is. If he was like Pinocchio, you could watch his nose grow as the story grows. Exaggeration, just like the Doro Pesch thing, and like every other story that he tells about every musician, and not just me. About his whole career - exaggeration.
You allege that Dave Mustaine was freebasing, and that his paranoia grew. Is that why he fired you from Megadeth then? Because he thought you were trying to take over the group? Or did you just leave?
It's not so cut and dry as "Were you fired, or weren't you fired?". The real reason why I didn't do 'Rust In Peace' was because I had a partnership agreement on the table that was written up and ready to be signed. That would've cut me in as a three-way partner with Dave and Junior. Not Chuck, not a four-way partnership - a three-way partnership. They wouldn't have made Chuck a partner any more than they could've thrown him across a football field. It was on the table that I was gonna be a partner, but at the last second, Dave backed out. He reneged, and didn't wanna do it. He didn't wanna cut me in, and if you read Junior's lawsuit, you'll see that even if I would've at that time become a partner, he would've just gone on to rip me off just like he ripped Junior off. He's Megadeth Incorporated, and treats it like his own personal piggy bank. That's the reason I'm not in Megadeth.
There were times he fired me because I wouldn't bring him heroin. That's the Medieval Times story, where he fired all of us in one night; he fired Junior, he fired Chuck, and then he fired me, because none of us would drive two hours to a Medieval Times Renaissance show in Orange County to bring him heroin where he was with his mom and his sister to slide it under the fence to him.
So because he allegedly backed out of this proposed three-way partnership, you left Megadeth?
Yeah. He was so messed up dude. Do some research on freebasing; if you're smoking freebase, you don't care about anything but freebasing. I went down to get my equipment. I called up our road guitar tech, and said "Dude, meet me at the storage space". I didn't take any of the Marshall cabinets that Megadeth bought me - I didn't take anything that I didn't come in with. I took my heads, the guitars that I had that were in storage, my extra guitars, and cleared it all out of the storage space. I never told them, and I went back to Ohio. My dad had cancer. I never saw Dave Mustaine again until that Phoenix reunion a couple of years ago.
As you mentioned earlier, Dave also alleges that you opened up his suitcase once and found a love letter from Doro Pesch. You allegedly weren't happy, and quit Megadeth.
No. It didn't go quite like that. It was more like Doro Pesch gave Dave a love letter, and he ran in. I kinda had a crush on Doro, and I can't lie: she was cute, she was hot. We were flirting with each other, but apparently Doro has bad taste and she was crushing on Mustaine. Mustaine knew I was crushing on Doro, and he ran in the dressing room with the letter, and he showed it to everyone right in front of me, and read it out aloud right in front of me. I didn't have to go looking in his case. He just added that in to make me seem like I'm sneaky, or devious or whatever. He just came in and he was proud of it. It was a drag; if you have a crush on a chick, and she likes another guy... I wasn't that broken up about it, and it wasn't like anything had happened between Doro and me. We were just friends.
And you didn't verbally quit Megadeth as a result of that love letter?
No. We hung out. I hung out with him and Doro that night in the hotel room, and they went off somewhere. God knows what happened from there. We all hung out on a few nights. We hung out many nights on the tour; she'd come back to the hotel room, and we'd all hang out. You could tell she was crushing on Dave at that point. If you have a crush on a girl, and she's into another guy, you just think "Ok". That's where I was, but the drama always gets picked up because it looks better in print, and Dave likes to look good in print, and make drama, likes to hype the drama.
You alleged that you, Dave Ellefson and Chuck had come to an agreement with the soundman on tours to bury Dave Mustaine's contributions in the mix, and that he had to be carried offstage each and every night.
I like that you said his contributions, quote unquote. Well, it's just like when someone's fucked up; it makes their singing out of tune, and their playing sloppy. We wanted to sound good, right? We just told Louie the soundman "Dude, when he's sounding lame...", and many bands do this. If the singer's having a bad night, maybe they won't have him so loud in the mix. It wasn't like we paid the guy off. It wasn't a conspiracy, but he knew. You can hear live tapes, and you can go back and listen to bootlegs. You can hear it for yourself.
And you allege that Dave Mustaine was that wasted on tour that he had to be carried offstage every night?
Every night, and the worst night was... And this for me was one of my most embarassing moments in the band, and that I'm telling the story because it involves Metallica. This night was on that Dio tour, on the 'Dream Evil' tour, in Oakland, California which is right outside San Francisco, where Metallica are from of course. Megadeth and Dio were playing the Coliseum, whatever the big arena there in Oakland was, and James Hetfield and Lars came to the show. They were standing on the side of the stage for our set, and ya know, no-one needs to retell the story of what happened between Dave and Metallica.
Megadeth was doing great right there; our album was twenty-eight on Billboard, and we were one of the first speed metal bands I think to crack the top thirty. We were ready to seize the moment right then, and Dave, in that moment on that night, had the chance to shove their noses right in it. He had the chance to go on that stage, and play the fucking show of his life. Remember that scene in 'Some Kind of Monster' where Lars went to see Jason Newsted's new band, and Lars is like "Jason's the new thing man. Metallica's washed up... Jason is the shit"? Dave Mustaine had the chance to make those guys feel that that night, but he could not - for forty-five minutes - stay sober, and get through that show. He ended up getting so wasted, exactly the thing that they fired him from Metallica for doing - getting drunk.
He was so wasted on that stage, and when you open for a band, you know you got forty-five minutes. It's about going out, picking your best songs, and going out with guns blazing. You shove it down the audience's throat, and you get out of there without a lot of chitter chatter. You don't go on that stage, and put on some kind of a drunken rant for like eight to ten minutes of a forty-five minute set. I don't even know what he was saying. You're in an arena, so it's echoing like crazy. People can't even hear or understand what you're saying. He talked out of his ass, and Junior was over on the other side of the stage flailing his arms furiously. I was standing on the side of the stage playing the Oakland Coliseum, and James Hetfield and Lars were there. That was the first time in Megadeth where I said "I am so ashamed to be here. I did not work my whole life, and practice fourteen hours a day... but here I am. How is it possible? That I'm playing in front of thirteen thousand people a night, and I'm ashamed?". I could see Junior ashamed.
Finally he stopped, and we got through the show. All of us then had to walk right by Lars and James with our heads down because our singer made an ass out of all of us. So that's Dave onstage with Megadeth. That moment was his moment, where he could've shown them, and then all this drama he's had all these years with Metallica never would've happened. That night he could've put a lid on it, and said "I just took the helm babe". He had that chance that night.
Aside from Dave Mustaine, was everyone else in Megadeth sober at that time? Or not? Was Chuck and Dave Ellefson...
Chuck was... that's why it freaked me out. Why didn't he blame the Australian tour on Chuck? Chuck was the next person in line; there was Dave, then Chuck, then Junior, and then me - in that order. On one extreme you had Dave Mustaine and Chuck who, the first thing they did when they woke up was pick up the phone, and it was a twenty-four / seven drug quest at that time. I can't speak about anything that happened after I left. Junior would party, and he was doing the stuff, but it was just weird. Junior and me, no matter what, we were there for business and we were serious. Did you hear the 'Westlake and the Pig' interview that Junior just did last week? If not, it's a podcast on the JFL Radio website. Junior's a businessman; he's smart, he's articulate, and we get along.
I just had a two and a half hour conversation with Junior, and Junior would be standing up on my behalf in all this if it wasn't for the gag order that Mustaine has on him. He can't speak out - he can't say he was formerly in Megadeth. It's the most stupid thing I've ever heard, and for what I went through in Megadeth, I didn't go through anything compared to what poor Dave Ellefson did, his friend who stood by that guy from the first day when they started Megadeth - they went to get beer. Dave Ellefson finally got fed up. He stood by that guy through everything, and then you read that lawsuit - every bit's true. Junior said "I swear to you Jeff". I said "Dude, you don't even have to tell me. I know. I read it, and I believe every word".
Junior had great lawyers. Dave had some sleazy lawyers, and Junior signed this agreement under pressure. I don't know if that means that one of Dave's martial arts goons was standing there, and said "Sign this". I don't know what that means. I don't know why Dave Ellefson, as smart as he is, signed that agreement. If he had never signed that, he would've totally won that lawsuit. The sickest thing of all of it is because Junior didn't win that lawsuit, Dave Mustaine got away with what he did to his partner for all those years. I got off like a Sunday walk in the park compared to Junior. At least Junior, if anyone - more than me, more than Marty, more than Nick, more than anyone - he's the one guy who should be able to say "formerly of Megadeth". We're all doing it for him. When he was on 'Westlake and the Pig', they made sure to say it about a hundred times. I make sure to say it every time I can say it, because if Junior can't say it, then it's up to the rest of us to remind the world that that cat played one of the best bass riffs in metal history. I mean, it was the MTV News theme for how many years?
Could you shed light on this allegation that when a fan asked him for a guitar pick, he picked his nose, flicked snot at them, and said "There's your pick"?
Dude... When I wrote that blog, and all this thing blew up, I just wrote one blog. I didn't even know about the Australian tour thing. I wrote the one blog. I was on tour with my trio over the summer and fall, and one of my guitar students in a certain city brought me that Guitar World issue with Jerry Cantrell on the cover where Mustaine, for the first time, said he sang solos to me. I went through the roof. He composed the songs and what not, and all the songs were written when I came in the band, but those solos were my compositions. In the case of "Hook in Mouth", and how I wrote it with Jay, what I had in mind, was like in the case of "In My Darkest Hour" - improvization. It doesn't matter whether it was an improvization I came up with on the fly, or something that I sat down and wrote - those are my contributions. When I saw the guy claiming credit, I said "No".
I wrote one blog, but everything else blew up from there. USA Today put it in papers all across the country, and Blabbermouth covered it. Everyone picked it up, but I didn't do anything to make that happen. Blabbermouth subscribes to my blog, and they cover everything. If I put up a blog, it's on Blabbermouth in an hour. Could you please restate your question? I want to get right to the point.

"I didn't know that he made those accusations about me cancelling the tour, or that it was my fault."

In that MySpace blog you mentioned, you alleged that when a fan asked him for a guitar pick, he picked his nose, flicked snot at them, and said "There's your pick"?
Once I wrote the first blog, then all of a sudden, Megadeth fans started sending me hundreds of emails. That's how I found out about Omar, and the "Gears of War" guitar. Omar didn't contact me. A fan so upset that he had taken Omar's graphic off the Megadeth.com site and put it on that "Gears of War" guitar made a tribute page to Omar to give him a little credit, and the kid came to me. I got all kinds of letters, from fans who Mustaine has disrespected over some twenty years. I guess they saw what I said and thought "Ok, this guy finally stood up". They just started sending me letters. I've got in my email inbox, and on my MySpace, hundreds of letters from kids with stories or just words of support, or "Hey man.. I wanna buy you a beer when you come to my town. Thanks for finally standing up". This, that and the other.
That email, that story, is just a story one kid sent me on my MySpace. He asked Dave for his guitar pick, and he picked his nose and flicked it at him, and said "There's your pick". I don't wanna open my messages and see that. I have empathy for other people, and I'm a kinda person who feels that with every fan, you make those fans one at a time, especially as an indie artist. We make fans one at a time. I don't like Bret Michaels and his music, but he seems like a cool guy in Poison. I've seen him talk in interviews though, and he has that mindset. That's the mindset Mustaine doesn't have, where Bret Michaels appreciates his fans. Bret Michaels understands that you make fans one at a time, and that you have to treat them with respect, no matter if you're in a good mood or not. They're the ones that put you where you are.
Another fan sent me a story, saying "Oh dude... You think that's funny about him singing you your solos? I met him after a gig, and I just told him that I liked the solo on "In My Darkest Hour" - your solo". He went on to say "No other guitar player except you has been able to play that solo, and yet I've seen them try and they can't. I went up to Mustaine and told him I liked that solo, and Dave said "That's not even a guitar: that's me singing into a microphone, and I put an effect on it"". I've had hundreds of emails with all kinds of stories, and a lot of them made me not able to have dinner that night. It's not pretty stuff, and again, you make fans one at a time.
It's such a hard industry; there's so many good bands, and there's so much music competing for the listeners' ears, that it makes me upset to see fans writing to me about anyone. It doesn't matter if it's about Dave Mustaine - let's forget about him. If it was Mick Jagger, Steven Tyler or anyone, you don't do that to a kid man because that kid... I can just imagine. If I walked up to Jimmy Page... I stood there for eight hours a day figuring out his solos note for note, or Eddie Van Halen. Even Yngwie, who people say is arrogant, I met Yngwie when I went to G. I. T., and I was in the dressing room with that cat one on one. I've got pictures, and maybe he got more of an ego later on - I didn't see him later on. Yngwie was so cool though; he showed me his picking technique, and his guitars. I just snuck in his dressing room, and was just a kid going to G. I. T. He was young too - he was in his early twenties.
You got to be cool with your fans. It would've broken my heart if I went back there and snuck in when I was going to G. I. T.... and you can probably hear I was totally into Yngwie. You can hear it on 'So Far, So Good... So What!'. One of Yngwie's biggest influences is Paco de Lucia, the greatest flamenco guitarist in history, and Yngwie is kind of trying to play that vibe on electric. I really looked up to Yngwie; by the time I went to G. I. T., I could play every solo on Alcatrazz's 'No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll' album. My goal was that by the time I got to L. A., I could play every Yngwie solo on that album. If I had met him, and he was a douche canoe, it would've been the worst thing - your whole world would just crash.
The kid that looks up to an artist like that finds it a hard thing to take when an artist is uncool. That's just not how I roll, but if that's how Dave wants to roll with his fans, then I guess to each his own. Another fan wrote to me though, and said "I went with my pregant girlfriend". Imagine this kid, who's a young kid and has a young girlfriend, and is a Megadeth fan - they had their first date to Megadeth, and he downloaded an album early so he could play it to his girlfriend. They went to a record store signing, and they had their albums with them. The kid had whatever their most recent album was, but his girlfriend that's pregnant had the album before that. They went up to Mustaine, but he wouldn't sign the girl's album because she didn't buy the new album. This is a story I got in my email inbox from this fan, which said "Dave Mustaine embarassed me in front of my pregnant girlfriend". He wouldn't sign her album just because it wasn't the new one, but it was just the one before - it wasn't like it was 'Peace Sells...', or 'Killing Is My Business...'. She bought your album dude. That's not how you treat your fans, I'm sorry. That's dumb.
You also alleged that Dave paid your guitar technician at the time to spit in your water bottle every night while on tour?
I didn't know that either. Dave just put that in that video. This all came out in that video when he was talking about Australia, and he said that it wasn't just that he spat in my water bottle. Imagine how cool is that? If you, twenty years later, look back and realized that your guitar tech was spitting in your water bottle, then you drunk that shit every night. What's worse than that is the cat was taking the fuses out of my Marshalls. I was using Lee Jackson modified Marshalls at the time, and I was really hyped about how good they sounded. Dave was always trying to get me to just play straight Marshalls, but I would say "Dude, my amps sound way better than yours", and he was kinda jealous I think - about the fact that my amps sounded killer.
Funnily, my amps started blowing up onstage every night. Somehow, I'd go onstage and it'd blow out, and then it'd come on, and then it'd blow up again, and then it would come on. The straw that broke the camel's back was when we played Hammersmith Odeon. Thin Lizzy's in my top five favourite bands of all time, and 'Live and Dangerous' is probably my favourite album of all time. It was recorded at Hammersmith Odeon, so there I was, playing the Hammersmith Odeon and excited to go out there and kick ass. I run out there to set the world afire, but my fucking amp blows up. And then it blows up again, and again, so I thought "I've had it".
I sent my amp back to California to Lee Jackson, and he said "Jeff, I pulled your amp out of the box and I've already sealed it back up. I'm sending it back out to you. Who's putting the wrong fuses in your amps?". Get what I'm saying: I had the fuse from when Lee Jackson did my amp. He put the fuse in my amp, and then I went on tour. He gave me a bag of ten to fifteen fuses to replace the fuse if I ever have a problem. With an amp made by Lee Jackson - that guy's a genius - you aren't gonna have a problem. For someone to put the wrong fuses in my amps, they literally had to take out a working fuse and put in a fuse that was of too low a voltage, so it would blow up as soon as I hit heavy, low power chords. Just to fuck with me.
So I knew about the fuses. I didn't know about the water bottle till later, but it was the same fucking kid. Whether him and Mustaine were in it together, or the guy was doing it to just be a douche canoe, I don't know. But who wants to be in a band like that?
In that same MySpace blog, you also alleged that Dave tried to coerce you and the other members of Megadeth at the time to smuggle heroin into a rehab centre he was staying at using a coke can.
I don't think people get the comedy of that. Rehab is a voluntary check-in - you can just leave. He could've just gone, and that's what I told him when he called me. He asked me to do that, so I said "Dude, I'm not gonna do that... You know what Dave? I'm not gonna do that. If you wanna get out of rehab, just go go down to east LA and get your heroin, and snort it right away dude. We got "Doc" McGhee and Doug Thaler managing us, and they're about to drop us because you can't fucking be straight? You just go for that".
By that time, Junior was fucking straight. He moved out of Dave Mustaine's house. Junior didn't wanna be around him, and so he moved out. Junior and I worked on a couple of songs that could've been on 'Rust In Peace' that were killer, and everyone in the Megadeth camp loved those songs. I still remember the songs. In fact, one song I wrote I'm gonna put on the new Hydrogyn album, so that'll be cool. It was actually so good I remember it. I didn't have a recording, but all these years later I remembered that riff, which was really cool. So by the time we got back, Junior was straight. Junior took one rehab, and he was done. Junior told me he's been clean twenty years this March 1st, so twenty years clean for Junior.
As you mentioned earlier, you alleged that Dave smuggled heroin into Japan using shampoo bottles.
Yeah.. that's a risky move, if you think about their drug laws and if you know what happens if you're caught doing something like that. That kind of put the whole band, the whole crew and the whole production at risk for someone's drug habit, but no-one knew about it until we were already at the hotel. Then all of a sudden, I'm in my room, and I hear "Dave did this... you know what he did?". I said "He got away with it? Cool. Whatever".
Besides what we've discussed, is there anything else that Dave Mustaine has alleged that you'd like to refute?
I don't know. He's said a lot of stuff. I think I've replied to everything, so I can't say anything more than I've said. I've said the truth, but people can believe what they want. He's a proven pathological liar, and I wanted my thing on record. The solos speak of my creativity, and my contribution to Megadeth. If 'So Far, So Good... So What!' was an album that was part of a cut-out band, it wouldn't matter, but it's a classic album that a lot of people hold in very high regards. A lot of people think "In My Darkest Hour" is one of Megadeth's best songs, and that was the first solo that I played on that album, so that's kinda special to me. That's a memory, and for someone to try to claim that it's not even a guitar, but it's him singing into a mike with an effect on it? It's just not real.
Jeff Beck doesn't act like that. Jimmy Page doesn't act like that. For all these years, I've tried to keep quiet and thought "I gotta have dignity. I gotta be like a Jimmy Page or Jeff Beck, and have that class". I don't have that luxury. Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck didn't have to play with Dave Shitstaine. Someone's only gonna batter you for so long until you're just not gonna take shit anymore, and that's why he couldn't stand me. I wouldn't kiss his ass when I was in the band. I'd tell him to fuck off because I didn't respect him then, and I don't respect him now. I told him to fuck off when I was in Megadeth, and I'm telling him to fuck off right now publicly. His fans are also telling him to fuck off because they've all had it too. I've never seen such an outpouring. I mean, what happened? Who does that?
The fans were defending me in the Total Anarchy forum on Megadeth.com to such an extent that he took that forum down. That's a forum that ran for fifteen years, that was like MySpace and Facebook before there was a MySpace and Facebook. He pissed his fans off so badly that they ran off, made their own forum, and put James Hetfield's face at the top of it. I haven't seen that happen with any other artist that I've ever watched throughout their career, where they've alienated their own fanbase to such an extent that they would run away. I don't see Iron Maiden fans running away, and putting some other bands' - whoever their competition would be - his head right at the top. A lot of his fans are giving him the middle finger. For me, it's about time. Enough already.
What was the 2004 meeting in Phoenix, Arizona like that you made reference to?
This is what, I guess you could say, is quadruply upsetting about what's going down now, and why this whole feud - if you wanna call it that - broke out. Not too long after I left Megadeth, when he was in rehab he called. If you know anything about the A. A. program, then there's this certain process that you go through with your counsellor. One of the things that you have to do is make amends with who you've wronged, so Dave called me twice in two different rehabs over this past twenty years. I don't remember when exactly, but one was pretty close after I left, and one was a couple of years later when he was in another rehab. He's called me twice though, and apologized. He said his counsellor said I was probably one of the people he had wronged the most, and that he needed to call. He gave me what I could only categorize as a very insincere apology to make his own guilt go away, but there was nothing behind the apology if you know what I mean. So he apologized twice.
2004 would be the third time that he apologized, because he wanted me, Chuck Behler and Nick Menza to fly to Phoenix, and basically do an interview where we're basically praising him and how great he is, and how he's played in Metallica for some DVD. I don't even know if this footage that he filmed ever saw the light of day, but it just talked about the history of Megadeth. He played us the whole 'So Far, So Good... So What!' remaster, and I thought "Well... it was cool how it was. It didn't need to be remastered". I didn't say that, but I think it was kind of a vanity project. It's cool, but everyone seems to like the original mixes better of all the albums. And then he played us some of I think it was... What's the album that Chris Poland came back and played on?
'The System Has Failed'.
It was the first album Junior wasn't on because when I flew to Phoenix, I was expecting to see Junior. Of course, that's who I was most excited to see because he and I were probably the closest in the band. So I went there, and that's when I first heard Junior was out of Megadeth. Dave apologized then too, so for me, if he apologized back then there should be no more bad mouthing. None of the Australia stuff should've happened and none of the singing the solos stuff, because he should've known I'd be the one to call him on that. Maybe he didn't think the guy with the Farrah Fawcett hair was gonna be the one to do it, but I am.
Was Dave Mustaine ever religious while you were a part of Megadeth?
No.
He said that he's found religion in recent years.
He worshipped at the altar of the crack pipe.
I just wondered, to be honest. How do you look back on your time in Megadeth?
Well, I try to look back on it with positivity. I try to only remember and think about the good stuff, and all the good that came from it. The fans that like 'So Far, So Good... So What!' are as loyal today; as soon as I opened a MySpace page, they started finding me - so many fans, fan after fan. People who say that I wrote that blog for press to sell my album... I don't need the money. I already have enough money, so I don't have to work another day in my life. The fans are already there; the Megadeth fans who were into me have already contacted me. I don't need to do anything for any reason. It's amazing how loyal the fans are; I played on one album and played on a few tours, but they still remember, and that's really touching. It's cool. That's an amazing part of being in the band.
Like I said, the shows, the touring and everything is cool. And see, that's the thing. Even though I have a bad feeling about Mustaine as a person... I think he's a poser; I think he's one of the biggest phonies in rock 'n' roll and music. His whole thing is an act. The whole tough guy thing - it's not real. But I can still appreciate if I hear "Hangar 18" for example - I don't have to be on the song. "Tornado of Souls"... There's been certain songs that I've heard over the years. If a guitar student brings a song in and says "Hey, can you help me figure out this solo by Marty Friedman?" or whatever, then I say "Ok, man. That's cool". I can totally appreciate the good songs that he's written, and so can his fans. The unfortunate thing is that it's hard for me to appreciate and look back on my time fondly, and it's hard for the fans to enjoy the music, when he won't shut his fucking mouth. Frank Zappa said it best: shut up and play the guitar. That's all I'm saying. That's what I meant.
When I challenged him to a guitar duel, I was joking about that, like "I challenge you to a duel, sir", like they did in the Wild West or whatever. I totally would've done it, but if you're gonna talk shit, someone's eventually gonna say it's enough. I think he's done enough that he can be proud of without taking credit for other people's contributions to his band. He was in Metallica, and he's in Megadeth. He's written all these songs, has played all his own solos, sang all his own vocal melody lines, produced albums, and toured the world. He's got enough, but he's like the kid in the sandbox that has to have all the toys in his corner, and he doesn't wanna share any credit or anything. Just like the three-way partnership with me, just like with Junior with the money; he thinks that it's all his, and he doesn't wanna share any credit. I don't understand that kind of narcissism.

"If Dave wants to twist it, he can twist every story into something that's a hundred times more than it is."

Will you be purchasing Dave Mustaine's forthcoming autobiography?
I wouldn't read it if you handed it to me. It'd be like if you said "Would you read an autobiography by George Bush?". He's a professional bullshit artist, and has told so many lies right now that he doesn't know what the lies and the truth are. I can tell you that if he's got any more shit that he wants to sling my way, he better be taking it out before the book's published.
I thought you might read the book for legal reasons, just incase Dave Mustaine makes any statements that you feel you can sue him for.
It's called slander. The Australian tour thing is slander. You cannot say that someone's a heroin addict. Basically, he said "This guy is an unreliable employee who cancels tours" and so how does that play out? I'm booking tours right now, my guitar trio and Hydrogyn - we're all booking tours to go play. Now I'm seeking employment. What if we wanna tour Australia? If someone happens to get wind of that story or happens to see that YouTube video, who doesn't know that the guy's a pathological liar and just takes what he says at face value, then they won't want to book my band. That's why I came out, because at least now it's on record. If we ever have any problem in the future booking gigs, if someone says "We don't wanna book your band", and if we feel there's something suspicious there, we can now go back and say "Does this have anything to do with any of the stuff that Mustaine said? Here the truth has been set straight; Jeff responded, and it's untrue. Here's the Dave Ellefson court documents which substantiate that Mustaine cancelled four other tours after the Australia tour. Jeff's never cancelled any tours in his life".
I went on to have a number one album with Badi Assad in a totally different market, in the Brazilian market. I toured Europe and the world and stuff, and I went to Australia with Badi. We didn't cancel the tour. We didn't have any problems, and what I don't understand is I'm friends with all Megadeth members. I told you that I talked to Junior for about two and a half hours just a few days ago, and Chris Poland, Glen Drover - even players that I was never in the band with. I haven't even met Glen Drover, and he asked me to play on his album like the week he left Megadeth, on a solo album he's doing. I just don't understand. We all get along - all the past Megadeth members get along.
I work with musicians from all over the world, some of the best players on the planet, who are on my new album (2009's 'Equilibrium'). Somehow we can play in the sandbox together and get along, except when it comes to getting along with Dave Mustaine. I tend to think that the only common denominator there is that when Dave's in the picture, there's gonna be problems. People like Junior and I just wanna steer clear of it. We just wanna go on with our lives, and we don't wanna think about Megadeth anymore. We don't care. I don't listen to that much metal. I'm beyond Megadeth. That was twenty-three years ago, so there's no reason that dude should be talking about me today unless he has some kind of... What's the chip on his shoulder? Anyone with any insight can look into it and see when someone has to keep going on about something like that, there's an issue behind it, and that doesn't have anything to do with me - that's his issue. Anyone can figure what that is, but if you were to ask someone like a Dr. Drew or a psychiatrist, they could easily tell you what that is.
Again, I wanna like Megadeth and I wanna think fondly of it. All of us past members are proud of what we're doing. I mean, look at the guy right now. He's insulting Chris Broderick and James LoMenzo right while they're in the band. He's not even waiting anymore till they're out of the band. Online, he insulted Chris and then he insulted James, saying James can't write songs and his songs weren't good enough for 'Endgame'. James has to go onstage, and stand next to the guy every night. That can't be comfortable. You gotta respect the people you work with, whether you're in Megadeth, or work at a company, at a law firm, in a hospital, or at a 7-Eleven, a convenience store. People just have to respect each other, and that's all this is about. I think the world's done with being disrespected by Dave Mustaine, and not just me. I just happen to be the catalyst for the whole thing.
Thank you very much for the interview Jeff, which is really appreciated.
Alright man. Have a great day.
And you as well.
Hopefully my trio will come your way, and we can actually meet in person at a show sometime, or with Hydrogen somewhere, so...
That'd be great.
Stay in touch - I look forward to speaking to you sometime soon. Bye.
Bye.(Update: On Tuesday February 9th, UG caught up with Jeff Young to hear his thoughts on Dave Ellefson's return to Megadeth. He said the following:
Let me think about that... I'm a little speechless about it at the moment, especially in light of everything that those two went through together. But I guess he wants to be in Megadeth real bad... I don't know what else to say about it other than that. If it makes him happy, good on him, but I wouldn't wanna be in his shoes.)
Interview by Robert GrayUltimate-Guitar.Com 2010(Legal disclaimer: The accuracy of the information contained herein is neither confirmed nor guaranteed by Robert Gray / Ultimate-Guitar.com, and the views and opinions of Jeff Young expressed in this interview do not necessarily state or reflect those of Robert Gray / Ultimate-Guitar.com.)

Surprise! Mustaine's 'mind-slaves' are alerady on the scene here. You guys are just plain pathetic. This is one of the most thoughtful and well spoken interviews I have ever read by a metal guitarist. Everything here reads true if you've followed Megadeth's career at all.
Every lead guitarist in Megadeth has been a virtuoso and Jeff is no exception. You try to slag of Jeff's playing but worship Mustaine who is one of the worst guitarists in metal.
Just watch him take a complete face dive on YouTube with Dream Theater when they cover Pantera's "Cemetery Gates!" Megaeth's music is cool at times but Dave Mustaine is a negative human and deserves all the bad karma that is just now catching up with him.
Dimebag is a METAL GOD! Mustaine is a METAL CLOWN... period.

k first and foremost Jeff was great on SFSGSW but I do not think that his playing could compare to what Megadeth is doing now. With Jeff closing out everything and saying this shit about Dave he should look at how much he has changed and look at what he has given to charities and those he has helped.

Damn, part 2 was even better than the first! I was a hardcore Megadeth fan for years, but was still sane enough to realize how narcissistic Mustaine can be. But wow, some of the stories Jeff mentioned from his time in the band floored me. Had no idea about James & Lars showing up to see Mustaine play. Can't believe he f*cked that up. To the person who mentioned that part of the interview sounds made up... why would Jeff invent stories? Mustaine seems to have exaggerated on enough of them over years so no one else would even need too! Unless you were in the band during the time that Jeff was, or part of their inside circle in the late 80's, I think it's safe to say that the truth has been told.

i dont know much about dave mustaine or this dude, but i dont really believe in judging people, especially celebrities, based on things youve heard about them... i mean really, somebodys obviously lying here, whether its dave, jeff, or both, and youre honestly going to tell me you KNOW dave mustaine or jeff youngs personality? the media and interviews can distort anything, whether its true or not. i wouldnt say anything bad about either of these dudes, id rather just sit back and laugh at his hilarious ****ing use of metaphor.

To all those people yelling that he is trying to promote his album, Dave called out to him first. Mustardaine has no business talking shit about ANYONE. He is a MUSICIAN not a circus clown or a political leader that he can say anything and get away with. Though it seems that Young is a little infuriated, I can kinda believe what he said except the girlfriend part. Shit flies around whenever girls are involved.
Anyway, it's high time someone took a stand against him. I was REALLY infuriated when he took a dig at Marty. The guy who had such a significant hand in making Megadeth what it is today.

I think its a shitstorm on both sides that just seems to get blown up, and it seems that you would have to take the myspace stories with a grain of salt, but maybe thats just me. On another note when has Dave trashed Chris Broderick's playing?

megadominatrix wrote:
Surprise! Mustaine's 'mind-slaves' are alerady on the scene here. You guys are just plain pathetic. This is one of the most thoughtful and well spoken interviews I have ever read by a metal guitarist. Everything here reads true if you've followed Megadeth's career at all.
Every lead guitarist in Megadeth has been a virtuoso and Jeff is no exception. You try to slag of Jeff's playing but worship Mustaine who is one of the worst guitarists in metal.
Just watch him take a complete face dive on YouTube with Dream Theater when they cover Pantera's "Cemetery Gates!" Megaeth's music is cool at times but Dave Mustaine is a negative human and deserves all the bad karma that is just now catching up with him.
Dimebag is a METAL GOD! Mustaine is a METAL CLOWN... period.

uhm i dont dare say mustaine is one of the WORST metal guitarist i mean....jesus christ kerry king sucks much more balls then him...as for this read..very entertaining...i love what he said about ellefson at the end...it makes it look like his only ally left him. but w.e idc whos right or wrong i appreciate him coming out and speaking his side. he was an underrated guitarist for sure. but i still love the arrogance of mustaine =)

FearOfTheDuck wrote:
Who cares what this washed up musician thinks and says.
Dave may have been a twat, but he can write amazing albums in his sleep.

WHAT I'M SURE YOU MEANT TO SAY WAS:

FearOfTheDuck wrote:
Who cares what this (unknown and therefore) washed up musician thinks and says.
Dave may have been a twat, but I like the way his **** tastes.

Seriously though, Mustaine hasn't made a great album in ages. Sure, Endgame was good and all, but I wouldn't go and say it was great, no way. It was pretty damn cheesy and a huge part of it was just mindless ego wanking (the ridiculous soloing). There were some cool solos, sure, but they've totally missed the point of a solo. It's to serve the song.

Sanitarium91 wrote:
FearOfTheDuck wrote:
Who cares what this washed up musician thinks and says.
Dave may have been a twat, but he can write amazing albums in his sleep.
WHAT I'M SURE YOU MEANT TO SAY WAS:
FearOfTheDuck wrote:
Who cares what this (unknown and therefore) washed up musician thinks and says.
Dave may have been a twat, but I like the way his **** tastes.
Seriously though, Mustaine hasn't made a great album in ages. Sure, Endgame was good and all, but I wouldn't go and say it was great, no way. It was pretty damn cheesy and a huge part of it was just mindless ego wanking (the ridiculous soloing). There were some cool solos, sure, but they've totally missed the point of a solo. It's to serve the song.

And all that from someone called Sanitarium91...hmmmm I wonder what side of the fence you're on.....

You know what? +1 to the guy who said that this is a he said she said thing. This is like watching trailer trash argue, except instead of trailer trash, it's trailer trash that make awesome music. I'm not gonna like, I love Megadeth and all of their music, but Dave was certainly a doucher. However, this Jeff Young prick needs to grow the **** up. I mean, if DAVE MUSTAINE of all people could get over the Metallica/Megadeth thing, then why the hell can't this wanker get over his little personal problems with Dave? There was really no need for him to say any of this stuff about Dave. Jeff's time in Megadeth is as close as he is ever going to get to stardom, and those days are long gone.

Wow, I always knew Dave was a dick. You could tell by interviews, and stories. I'm sure a lot of those stories have truth to it. I'm kind of disappointed to know most of my musical heroes are *****s. Don't get me wrong I love Megadeth, I love Dave's music, but he's such a douchebag. I dunno. I am excited to see them in March. Jeff Young wasn't bad at all. Who knows if Friedman was on "so Far So Good So what." people would think he was the second worst Megadeth lead guitarist. That album wasn't exactly the best of Megadeth's work.

Kyle Crabbs wrote:
I think its a shitstorm on both sides that just seems to get blown up, and it seems that you would have to take the myspace stories with a grain of salt, but maybe thats just me. On another note when has Dave trashed Chris Broderick's playing?

Haha, I doubt Mustaine can sing those solos with an effect on his voice.

the only thing i have to say is that he's only played on 3 albums his entire life (from what i've heard) and now he's here insulting the guy that gave him the only chance at fame he'll ever have. i don't know or really even care which side of the story is true, but i see tons of innaccuracies in his account of things (mostly little details though, not the big picture) and he seems to be going off waaaaay to hard on someone he spent around a year working for. wtv

Megadeth has always been my favorite band, and I think people are crazy when they say that Mustaine is the worst metal guitarist ever. It's not even an issue of bias to me.
Having said that...
Mustaine can totally be a douche. He can't go one single interview without trashing someone. My girlfriend and I saw Megadeth last December, and it was her BIRTHDAY. We held up a small sign that said "Best birthday ever" After fighting our way to the front row, Dave looks down, reads it, and just looks away. Not even a nod or gesture or anything. Maybe that's not that big a deal or whatever, but when I read similar stories from other Megadeth fans of mistreatment and disrespect, it knocks Mustaine down a few notches in my book.

To the guys dissing Mustaine, you do realize that even if this is all true and he didn't make it up it's in the PAST. I am a big 'deth and Mustaine fan but i don't defend the stuff he did and said back in the 80s and early 90s but that is not how he is now. So how are you all any better than him? You talk about the whole Metallica thing saying he needs to get over it well guess what? ou need to get over how Dave WAS. For the record i am a fan of both bands. I just think it's funny how ignorant some people are..."oh i knew he was a prick and this just confirmed it!"..really?

What's it all matter anyway? People have their days when they're asses & days when they're Gods. It's the cycle of musicians; look at the Beatles, Guns 'N' Roses, the Doors. Yeah, Mustaine is a good guitarist (if not, he still wouldn't be famous, correct?) & yes, he's said/done some pretty douche-bag things but just get over it. All these 'Deth fans are just bitching & complaining because somebody insulted their "hero." Oh well, wipe the tears up & move on w/ it.

If any of you would actually look into the work Jeff Young has done like Equilibrium, then you would realize what a loss Megadeth had. His style is more in your face that Friedman's style, so yes, truth is that Jeff rips Mustaine the hell apart at guitar.

Motochika wrote:
And for all of those Metallica fans who like the Black album and the crap after that you can all go to hell. Kirk is an amateur guitarist, Metallica was awesome with Cliff Burton, Dave Mustaine, James, and Lars but since then they've become FAGTALLICA.

I really, really enjoy 'The Black Album', so I guess that includes me...

Let me also add that Jeff seems to be doing this for publicity. He wants to get his name out there. "In fact, one song I wrote I'm gonna put on the new Hydrogyn album, so that'll be cool. It was actually so good I remember it." That kind of makes me laugh.

PolishHedbanger wrote:
Jeff Young is a dumb ass. He's really ignorant if you think about it. Dave Mustaine has changed and it shows in recent events. What's past is past, and drug abusers aren't always honest.

Dave Mustaine called Jeff Young a heroin user in a late 2009 interview in Australia, and blamed him for a tour being cancelled twenty years ago in that same interview, which you'd actually know if you had read the interview without commenting. A late 2009 interview - not ten years ago, not five years ago. Are you going to say "What's past is past" to Dave Mustaine as well?
I don't sound funny guys, but if you comment without reading the interview first - whichever interview it is - I feel you should all just f*** off somewhere else because I have no time for people commenting who are ignorant, and just defend a certain person because they're from their favourite band.
Read the interview first, then share your thoughts on what the person said - not vice versa. That's like saying an album is rubbish without listening to it in full.
I enjoy Metallica and Megadeth - how about that? I don't need to take sides, and slag off one or the other. I like Mustaine's playing, and Hammett's playing. I enjoy Maiden and Ozzy too, and don't feel the need to take sides there either. Can't anyone appreciate a single band's worth without saying something like "X is much shitter than Y - Y plays a 100 times better"?

Like I was saying. I believe him. Mustaine is like Axl Rose now. He owns the band name and ex-members are coming clean. Those that play nice like (Izzy with Axl and Ellefson/Chris Poland with Mustaine) will get brought back into collaborate or play on stage with them. Those that refuse (like Jeff with Mustaine and Slash with Axl), will probably get slammed as liars. But you know, what they say is partially the truth. And Slash is guilty for doing heroin with Dave and Jr. and Duff back in the day. I'm sure Jeff was along but wasn't really into it. just check this classic video people:

Robert Gray wrote:
PolishHedbanger wrote:
Jeff Young is a dumb ass. He's really ignorant if you think about it. Dave Mustaine has changed and it shows in recent events. What's past is past, and drug abusers aren't always honest.
Dave Mustaine called Jeff Young a heroin user in a late 2009 interview in Australia, and blamed him for a tour being cancelled twenty years ago in that same interview, which you'd actually know if you had read the interview without commenting. A late 2009 interview - not ten years ago, not five years ago. Are you going to say "What's past is past" to Dave Mustaine as well?
I don't sound funny guys, but if you comment without reading the interview first - whichever interview it is - I feel you should all just f*** off somewhere else because I have no time for people commenting who are ignorant, and just defend a certain person because they're from their favourite band.
Read the interview first, then share your thoughts on what the person said - not vice versa. That's like saying an album is rubbish without listening to it in full.
I enjoy Metallica and Megadeth - how about that? I don't need to take sides, and slag off one or the other. I like Mustaine's playing, and Hammett's playing. I enjoy Maiden and Ozzy too, and don't feel the need to take sides there either. Can't anyone appreciate a single band's worth without saying something like "X is much shitter than Y - Y plays a 100 times better"?

Sorry man it doesn't say 2009 interview on this page, and I did read the interview.
Well now since I know 2009, it either means Dave is lying, or Jeff Young is lying. From what I read here, Jeff Young seems kinda selfish and kind of angry that he didn't appear on Rust In Peace, but then again you can never really know the truth in this situation.
As far as Megadeth is concerned, I'm really happy Junior and Dave made amends with each other, because honestly Megadeth is not the same without him.
I'm also gonna add in although I prefer Megadeth, the Metallica VS Megadeth stuff is so old, opinions differ with everyone, and yea Metallica has some good tunes old and new.

PolishHedbanger wrote:
Robert Gray wrote:
PolishHedbanger wrote:
Jeff Young is a dumb ass. He's really ignorant if you think about it. Dave Mustaine has changed and it shows in recent events. What's past is past, and drug abusers aren't always honest.
Dave Mustaine called Jeff Young a heroin user in a late 2009 interview in Australia, and blamed him for a tour being cancelled twenty years ago in that same interview, which you'd actually know if you had read the interview without commenting. A late 2009 interview - not ten years ago, not five years ago. Are you going to say "What's past is past" to Dave Mustaine as well?
I don't sound funny guys, but if you comment without reading the interview first - whichever interview it is - I feel you should all just f*** off somewhere else because I have no time for people commenting who are ignorant, and just defend a certain person because they're from their favourite band.
Read the interview first, then share your thoughts on what the person said - not vice versa. That's like saying an album is rubbish without listening to it in full.
I enjoy Metallica and Megadeth - how about that? I don't need to take sides, and slag off one or the other. I like Mustaine's playing, and Hammett's playing. I enjoy Maiden and Ozzy too, and don't feel the need to take sides there either. Can't anyone appreciate a single band's worth without saying something like "X is much shitter than Y - Y plays a 100 times better"?
Sorry man it doesn't say 2009 interview on this page, and I did read the interview.
Well now since I know 2009, it either means Dave is lying, or Jeff Young is lying. From what I read here, Jeff Young seems kinda selfish and kind of angry that he didn't appear on Rust In Peace, but then again you can never really know the truth in this situation.
As far as Megadeth is concerned, I'm really happy Junior and Dave made amends with each other, because honestly Megadeth is not the same without him.
I'm also gonna add in although I prefer Megadeth, the Metallica VS Megadeth stuff is so old, opinions differ with everyone, and yea Metallica has some good tunes old and new.

It's inferred, but I suppose you wouldn't have known - my apologies.
I'd like to say that irrespective of what happened with Young and Mustaine, I would've been upset about not being on 'Rust In Peace' too - that's a killer album.
A lot of people seem happy with Ellefson's return - I'm interviewing him this Tuesday.
And great to hear you feel the Metallica vs Megadeth stuff is old - that was directed at others, and not you specifically.

Robert Gray wrote:
PolishHedbanger wrote:
Robert Gray wrote:
PolishHedbanger wrote:
Jeff Young is a dumb ass. He's really ignorant if you think about it. Dave Mustaine has changed and it shows in recent events. What's past is past, and drug abusers aren't always honest.
Dave Mustaine called Jeff Young a heroin user in a late 2009 interview in Australia, and blamed him for a tour being cancelled twenty years ago in that same interview, which you'd actually know if you had read the interview without commenting. A late 2009 interview - not ten years ago, not five years ago. Are you going to say "What's past is past" to Dave Mustaine as well?
I don't sound funny guys, but if you comment without reading the interview first - whichever interview it is - I feel you should all just f*** off somewhere else because I have no time for people commenting who are ignorant, and just defend a certain person because they're from their favourite band.
Read the interview first, then share your thoughts on what the person said - not vice versa. That's like saying an album is rubbish without listening to it in full.
I enjoy Metallica and Megadeth - how about that? I don't need to take sides, and slag off one or the other. I like Mustaine's playing, and Hammett's playing. I enjoy Maiden and Ozzy too, and don't feel the need to take sides there either. Can't anyone appreciate a single band's worth without saying something like "X is much shitter than Y - Y plays a 100 times better"?
Sorry man it doesn't say 2009 interview on this page, and I did read the interview.
Well now since I know 2009, it either means Dave is lying, or Jeff Young is lying. From what I read here, Jeff Young seems kinda selfish and kind of angry that he didn't appear on Rust In Peace, but then again you can never really know the truth in this situation.
As far as Megadeth is concerned, I'm really happy Junior and Dave made amends with each other, because honestly Megadeth is not the same without him.
I'm also gonna add in although I prefer Megadeth, the Metallica VS Megadeth stuff is so old, opinions differ with everyone, and yea Metallica has some good tunes old and new.
It's inferred, but I suppose you wouldn't have known - my apologies.
I'd like to say that irrespective of what happened with Young and Mustaine, I would've been upset about not being on 'Rust In Peace' too - that's a killer album.
A lot of people seem happy with Ellefson's return - I'm interviewing him this Tuesday.
And great to hear you feel the Metallica vs Megadeth stuff is old - that was directed at others, and not you specifically.

No hard feeling man
I can't wait to read the Ellefson interview now, should be interesting!
And yea Gas Pipe, people need to STFU with this mindless battle, enjoy the music.

One thing I'd like to add about this interview, which people can interpret however they wish, is that Jeff Young was approached to do an interview by me / UG and not vice versa. This was in December 2009. All I had as a reply was "Call me" which included his telephone number. Instead of calling, I then emailed for the next month (to save on calling, which costs a bit) trying to arrange the interview and pin a time and day down. I got zero response. I then bit the bullet, phoned the number, and got the interview arranged.
In my opinion, this isn't the behaviour of someone who's really keen to be heard. But like I said though, people can draw their own conclusions.

Well my assumptions are, with all my experience with liars and basic knowledge of psychology, is that he's talking out of anger and revenge, and in these situations honesty is rarely the case. The way he responds to some of the questions suggests that he knows what Dave said is true, but he's trying to arrange his answers in a such a way that makes him seem as if his only goal is to down talk Mustaine. But once again, no one can know for sure.

I don't know who to believe. But from everything I've heard, even though Megadeth is my second favorite band and I look up to Dave Mustaine so much as a musician, I could give two shits about meeting the guy. It would kill me to know that Dave would be an ***** to me.

Reading this 'Megadave vs. Metallica' crap and the "This guy's a liar 'cuz I'm a huge fan of the other' bullshit makes me sick. I was going to post my opinion on the interview, but I refuse to lower myself to the level of the aforementioned bullshit.

Skuzzmo wrote:
And all that from someone called Sanitarium91...hmmmm I wonder what side of the fence you're on.....

UUUH, you sure made my post invalid.
Please, do tell me, because I honestly don't think I'm on anyone's side (ok, sure, I believe Young rather than Mustaine because Mustaine is a total bullshitter). I made this account in 2006 and I've regretted the username ever since. So you're basically just judging a book by its covers here. I respect Dave's music, but there simply isn't a point in denying that he's a total douche.

Don't know who to believe, nor do I care. I've always been aware that Mustaine has been the biggest douche in music next to Axl Rose, albeit a well-educated one. I love their music, but I just can't ****ing stand Mustaine.

love hearing jeff's side...mustaine, i personally see, as doing all his religious BS and charity stuff to try to give himself a better reputation. even when his little school of rock thing came up, i still sensed an arrogant vibe from the way he talked about it. all his old interviews where straight up pricky and arrogant. all his new interviews are icing coated, though still the same old ass hat when you really look
cool tunes though.

You people that are so anti-Mustaine are just as ridiculous as the people who are his mindslaves. You have those saying Mustaine is god and everybody else sux, then those saying that Mustaine sux and everybody else is better. To be perfectly honest, I would say Mustaine is a metal god along with several other people. Mustaine is who he is, an amazing musician and an entertainer. Even if this whole interview is true, it really makes me love Mustaine that much more, but I'm the type that roots for the bad guy in the movies lol. I feel like it's all an act and he's retired now as far as the *****ness goes. He is totally happy with where he has gotten himself.

I honestly don't care what either of them do (or have done) in their lives. As long as they make good music, I'm content. Plus, most of us don't know any of these people so it's difficult to come to a complete conclusion and it's really not worth arguing about.

Wow I just have one thing to say to all the people in this thread.
"Ask the sheep for their beliefs"
Who knows if anything that Jeff Young said was true, or vice versa with Dave Mustaine. I hate that Dave Mustaine has to deal with these stories that ignorants latch onto and believe every word of them. You couldn't know unless you were there, and even then, I don't really give a ****. Jeff Young started this whole shit up with his blog, and has continued bringing this stuff up, when Dave Mustaine hasn't commented at all. I think Jeff just needs to ****ing get over it.
So in conclusion:
-Who the **** knows who's telling the truth.
-Fuck Jeff Young for starting this shit.
-Who cares, Megadeth is awesome. Dave Mustaine is an awesome guitarist and vocalist. Jeff Young is a great guitarist. Why even bring this up?
-All I know for sure from all of this is that Jeff Young can't get over the past, and is doing more slandering himself than he claims Dave Mustaine has done to him ~18 years ago. He's just comes off as being completely childish.

If Dave is bashing Chris OR James, for ANY reason at all, he's a delusional jackass. Chris has FAR more talent than Dave could ever hope to have, and it disgusts me to see someone like him insult players with the dedication and caliber of Chris Broderick. Thanks for the enlightenment Jeff - absolute brilliance.

If I was Jeff Young I probably would have quit Megadeth too, I mean I don't want to be in a band where the frontman is drugged up; so I can't blame him for that. However, with all of these arguements about who did what back then- can't we just let by-gones be by-gones?

fm20000 wrote:
Jeff Young seriously needs to just shut up. What has he done since he has been kicked out of Megadeth? NOTHING.

You mean apart from all that music he's written.

Then all of the sudden 20 YEARS LATER he decides to come out and say crap about Dave?

Mainly because Mustaine, as ever, was being nasty about Young, twenty years after he'd fired Young for no real reason.

Where was all this when people cared? NOBODY CARES WHAT YOU SAY JEFF!

You clearly do, considering how worked up you are about it all.

Your

*you're

a washed up piece of crap guitarist

Have you ever even heard his post-Megadeth playing?

that has done nothing for 20 years

Apart from the music he's written and performed...

and you decide to badmouth the one man who made people know who you are? Really just shut the hell up.

This is really quite funny given that you're defending Mustaine, who's made a career out of slagging off past bandmembers and making himself out to be a deity in everything he has ever been involved in.

Gcwarrior wrote:
Wow I just have one thing to say to all the people in this thread.
"Ask the sheep for their beliefs"
Who knows if anything that Jeff Young said was true, or vice versa with Dave Mustaine. I hate that Dave Mustaine has to deal with these stories that ignorants latch onto and believe every word of them. You couldn't know unless you were there, and even then, I don't really give a ****. Jeff Young started this whole shit up with his blog, and has continued bringing this stuff up, when Dave Mustaine hasn't commented at all. I think Jeff just needs to ****ing get over it.
So in conclusion:
-Who the **** knows who's telling the truth.
-Fuck Jeff Young for starting this shit.
-Who cares, Megadeth is awesome. Dave Mustaine is an awesome guitarist and vocalist. Jeff Young is a great guitarist. Why even bring this up?
-All I know for sure from all of this is that Jeff Young can't get over the past, and is doing more slandering himself than he claims Dave Mustaine has done to him ~18 years ago. He's just comes off as being completely childish.

For the record, Dave Mustaine made reference to Jeff Young being a heroin addict in a late 2009 Australian interview, which Jeff Young then subsequently refuted in a blog. He also mentioned the Doro Pesch story, and the story regarding his girlfriend. Therefore, "this whole shit" as you put it began when Mustaine did that Australian interview - irrelevant of who is telling the truth. And as well, the 2009 Guitar World interview where he says he sang Young's solos to Young.

Did he say Dave worshipped at the altar of the crack pipe? Lol. That was pretty funny, considering the recent religious views of mustaine. I think that would be something any relious zealot would take strong offense to, and wouldn't be surprised if Dave does as well. On a side note, every megadeth album (sans Risk) is pretty good, IMHO. I do agree with not only young, but countless others who kinda wish Dave would let his discography speak for itself. I also don't see the point in saying all your old guitarists suck, if you're finally getting recognition you've always wanted for your own playing (ex: guitar world reader poll, guitarist books, etc.) I would personally own up to past personality issues (" I was a douche to the guys in my band") and simultaneously praise their contributions to what has been a stellar two decades of albums, which got another achievement with Endgame.
Of course, that's just what an atheist would do..

webbtje wrote:
fm20000 wrote:
Jeff Young seriously needs to just shut up. What has he done since he has been kicked out of Megadeth? NOTHING.
You mean apart from all that music he's written.
Then all of the sudden 20 YEARS LATER he decides to come out and say crap about Dave?
Mainly because Mustaine, as ever, was being nasty about Young, twenty years after he'd fired Young for no real reason.
Where was all this when people cared? NOBODY CARES WHAT YOU SAY JEFF!
You clearly do, considering how worked up you are about it all.
Your
*you're
a washed up piece of crap guitarist
Have you ever even heard his post-Megadeth playing?
that has done nothing for 20 years
Apart from the music he's written and performed...
and you decide to badmouth the one man who made people know who you are? Really just shut the hell up.
This is really quite funny given that you're defending Mustaine, who's made a career out of slagging off past bandmembers and making himself out to be a deity in everything he has ever been involved in.

You know what, I am completely neutral to both Mustaine and Young, and, considering that I both dislike Metallica and Megadeth, I feel like it's fine to say: With this coming to light, Dave is a "Douche Canoe" fo sho, and used to be a really bad person. Now, he seems to be a little better. That is all.

ok this isn't complete bull. but it's still pretty bad. Jeff says all this stuff on how we should all get along, and he doesn't care anymore about the bad things that happened in Megadeth (supposedly, you can't trust everything you hear online). but then he goes on to "badmouth" Mustaine, and supposedly expose all these things he supposedly did. Hypocrisy. Pure hypocrisy. From what Dave had overcome music-wise and drug-wise, whether all this is true or complete crap, Mustaine will always be one of my biggest heroes in life.
But that's not to diss Jeff. I wish the best of wishes to Jeff, Poland, Menza, Marty, Ellefson, and all these guys. Because all this stuff, is just the media. Pure media streaming across the world and into our minds, warping us. Music is the only media that truly clicks with me, and that's why I still love all these guys no matter what, because of their music, the reason WHY they're making all this media and "badmouthing".
And no matter what truth there is in this interview, or interviews I've read or heard of Mustaine, Megadeth got me into the beauty of music itself, and Megadeth will always be one of my favorite bands. That's why I still have respect for all these people, other than the fact that they're indeed still human, and to my knowledge the only crimes they're committing are drug-related. Dave didn't murder or brutally interrogate Jeff right?

Wow good interview, but people that say Dave is just a dick and whatnot forget who he is... In my opinion Dave Mustaine is the icon of thrash metal. People forget that thrash is basically a combination of Punk and Metal and Dave has the badass punk attitude and the technical ability to play difficult metal that not many have. It's as if Sid Vicious merged with Van Halen, you need to be a crazy mofo to pull it off. Also Jeff is a good guitarist and I have nothing against him, I just prefer Poland-Friedman-Broderick.

You have to take this into consideration:
Dave was kicked out of metallica for his behavior
he has fired band mates constantly for 20 years
and has a lot of people that talk shit about him.
You can give the guy the benefit of the doubt, but you have to admit, the guy is a black cloud.

Th biggest problem I see, is that he is demonizing an already demonized person; if people started talking shit about Kerry king, would people really care? He's already known for not being the most tolerant person or the nicest. Mustaine is also known for being an ass. Why do we need more demonizing? That's my 2 cents...

"You know, people have heard me say that I 'sang' solos to [former guitarist] Marty [Friedman] in the studio, and I did. I did it to [former guitarists] Jeff [Young] , Chris [Poland] and Al [Pitrelli], too. But Chris Broderick? I only did it two times, and there are literally hundreds of thousands of notes on [MEGADETH's new album] 'Endgame'."
-Dave Mustaine in the Dec. 2009 issue of Guitar World

Did everyone forget that this is the initial reason why Jeff is attacking Dave in the press?

I always knew Dave was an asswipe, but this really takes the cake.
Fucking freebase smoking piece of shit. His riffing style and technique are good and all, but I would never want to meet him in person.
On top of that, his soloing and tone are weak.
The whole singing solos BS is ludicrous at best, especially in the case of Friedman and Broderick.

excellent interview. i've never read any interviews by him before, but he seems like an extremely articulated guy. and one must remember, he didn't make up the questions, he just answered them! if you're not happy with what he said, blame the interviewer in part!

I think everyone who listens to Megadeth can admit Dave is a douche, but can the dude write some sweet music? hell yes! I liked sfsgsw, but this guy was never as good for megadeth as Friedman or Poland

This interview sucks, nothing about the guitarist, oh maybe it's because he's just a guitar teacher? HA ?
He's just picking on Dave when he was a junkie, even Dave knows he was a jerk...
THANKS JEFF YOUNG....

EnyoAdonai wrote:
What a rant!
I stopped reading at "I try to look back on my megadeth years with positivity" ... That's when this became a complete joke.

Yes, it was a rant, but once again another person just doesn't get what it's about.
This isn't about music, it's about people. Sure, to some extent what they say affects their carreers, but this is about MUSTAINE NOT GETTING THE CHANCE TO GET AWAY WITH HIS LIES. Sure, it was bound to get a bit out of hand taking into account the fact that Mustaine said some personal shit about Jeff, too. I'm sure Jeff exaggerated some stuff here and went out of topic, but I personally believe that what Jeff said about the accusations Dave said about him is true. So, perhaps not all he said is true, but the stuff all this drama is about is.
And why can't he look back to those times with positivity? I mean, Dave was a shit person, yes, but that doesn't mean that he didn't have good moments there. Jesus Christ. People's logic sometimes...

What are some of you so surprised about?
Is it a revelation in 2010 that Dave Mustaine is an *****? Old news guys.
What matters is he has written a ton of killer songs and is a better guitar player than everyone who just read this.

The best interview I've ever read.
I thought Dave Mustaine was a douchebag before, but to deny the fan who designed the artwork on your signature guitar recognition? That's just horrible. I'm sure the guy would've settled for a signed copy of the guitar or something.
Everyone here knows that everything Jeff said is at least 90% true. Don't try to fool yourselves. If you even remotely consider yourself a fan of Megadeth, you know the BS Dave spews out on a regular. I love the music but after reading this, I've completely lost respect for him. I've bought some of your albums Dave, are you going to blow snot at me if I were to ever go to one of your shows? What a piece of crap.
This interview has nothing to do with how good Jeff Young is at guitar so stop acting like it does. Just because he's not Freidman or Poland, you guys act like that makes him untrustworthy on the subject of the leader of the band he was in for 3 or 4 years. Give me a break.

It would be arrogant for anyone to say one side is 100% right and one is 100% wrong.
No one leads a life without doing some right and some wrong. Even though for some the balance is tipped to one side or the other.
As for who is right, I'd be willing to believe that Jeff told the truth for a lot of it, but not all. I'm sure Mustaine has at least one truth to his name.

a lot of people are being called sheeps for following whatever Dave says. this is so fantastically hysterical, since these are the same people who blindly follow whatever the press writes. you don't know him people and neither do i. you shouldn't pass personal judgement on a person you don't truly know, and you should always look at the credibility of your sources to see if they could be biased. Jeff Young, my fellow sheep, is biased. who are the blindest of sheeps? the ones who blindly follows what the media tells us, or the ones who question the media and looks deeper at the matter. we are all sheep, we are all blind, thats how life is. by refusing to follow one side you blindly follow the other.

It is ironic that Jeff is talking bad about Mustaine, while complaining that Mustaine is talking bad about him. I know that he is just responding to what Dave has said recently, but it just strikes me as funny. Nobody really knows what happened then, Dave probably doesn't remember clearly due to drug use, and it sure sounds like Jeff paints himself as the innocent one. There is probably enough blame to go around. I am surprised that we don't get Chuck's opinion on this. Maybe we should get an interview with him.
Now I thought I read an interview with Jeff back when Marty joined Megadeth where he basically said the reason he was fired from Megadeth was because of drug use. I don't remember it very clearly so it could have been Mustaine that said it, but I don't really believe he was an innocent party to drug use.
As far as believing what people tell him about Dave, he should know better than that. You have to take what someone else says happened with a grain of salt. He is getting emails from hundreds of people saying what Dave has done and he believes it? The nose pick thing could have happened, but how is anyone to know?
I also like how he is bringing up things that happened 20+ years ago that Dave has not said recently. Was Dave paranoid and neurotic then? Yes. That is what drugs do to people. Dave probably really thinks that is the way things happened then, because that is the way he remembers them. Drugs warp people's sense of reality.

cpopken wrote:
I also like how he is bringing up things that happened 20+ years ago that Dave has not said recently. Was Dave paranoid and neurotic then? Yes. That is what drugs do to people. Dave probably really thinks that is the way things happened then, because that is the way he remembers them. Drugs warp people's sense of reality.

But he did say them recently - in late 2009 interviews which has been stated time and time again in the comments section...

Sanitarium91 wrote:
FearOfTheDuck wrote:
Who cares what this washed up musician thinks and says.
Dave may have been a twat, but he can write amazing albums in his sleep.
WHAT I'M SURE YOU MEANT TO SAY WAS:
FearOfTheDuck wrote:
Who cares what this (unknown and therefore) washed up musician thinks and says.
Dave may have been a twat, but I like the way his **** tastes.Seriously though, Mustaine hasn't made a great album in ages. Sure, Endgame was good and all, but I wouldn't go and say it was great, no way. It was pretty damn cheesy and a huge part of it was just mindless ego wanking (the ridiculous soloing). There were some cool solos, sure, but they've totally missed the point of a solo. It's to serve the song.

Neither has Metallica, thats because you cant compare their old to their new.
Marty isnt in the band anymore. So dont compare everything to the Rust in peace era. The band is its best its been in years and with the return of Elefson it can only get better no ?

simpleben09 wrote:
You know what? +1 to the guy who said that this is a he said she said thing. This is like watching trailer trash argue, except instead of trailer trash, it's trailer trash that make awesome music. I'm not gonna like, I love Megadeth and all of their music, but Dave was certainly a doucher. However, this Jeff Young prick needs to grow the **** up. I mean, if DAVE MUSTAINE of all people could get over the Metallica/Megadeth thing, then why the hell can't this wanker get over his little personal problems with Dave? There was really no need for him to say any of this stuff about Dave. Jeff's time in Megadeth is as close as he is ever going to get to stardom, and those days are long gone.

Clearly you live in parallel universe. In a VERY recent interview with some magazine (he was named the best metal guitarist or something) he said, "I thanked God that I'm above James and Kirk". Not John Petrucci, Not Malcolm Young but the Metallica guys. Do you call this getting over Metallica?
Plus I think people are missing the point here. Mustaine spilled dirt on Young first and he is defending himself. Fair and square. If he had to promote his album he would have contacted Robert/UG himself asking to be granted an interview which he did not.

I am a devoted Metalhead guitarist, 26+ yrs now, and I know every song Megadeth & Metallica ever recorded basicly. From the start I have been rooting for Megadeth, the underdog, always falling one step (now miles, lol) short of Mighty Metallica...
But the simple truth is that Megadeth has some of the best moments ever recorded (Poland's leads on Peace Sells...Hell, the guitars on that album LITERALY growl!!!) "Rust" album is amazing....
BUT..Metallica just gets it. They have taken over the world and lived up to their name! They love their fans & love kick ass Metal music, always have and it shows.
Mustaine, you're a ****in' dick, and I love all of Jeff Young's influinces, great taste in music. OK, i gotta rock out now, anyone ready to jam?

Robert Gray wrote:
cpopken wrote:
I also like how he is bringing up things that happened 20+ years ago that Dave has not said recently. Was Dave paranoid and neurotic then? Yes. That is what drugs do to people. Dave probably really thinks that is the way things happened then, because that is the way he remembers them. Drugs warp people's sense of reality.
But he did say them recently - in late 2009 interviews which has been stated time and time again in the comments section...

The funny thing is that half of the people haven't even read the entire interview or don't know the back story behind this. People are thinking that Young is attacking Dave just out of the blue.

What a load of bs. I have met Dave and he was one of the nicest guys I have met besides Dime and Dan Donegan. So he was hooked on heroin. Maybe because you were clean you hated being around it. It is people like this guy and Lars that metal gets a bad name.

loco4string wrote:
What a load of bs. I have met Dave and he was one of the nicest guys I have met besides Dime and Dan Donegan. So he was hooked on heroin. Maybe because you were clean you hated being around it. It is people like this guy and Lars that metal gets a bad name.

Lars?!? Don't mistake confidence for being snobby. Lars is the key to Metallica's sound, perfect partner to Het, great drummmer. See, he's Danish...

kevbomusic wrote:
loco4string wrote:
What a load of bs. I have met Dave and he was one of the nicest guys I have met besides Dime and Dan Donegan. So he was hooked on heroin. Maybe because you were clean you hated being around it. It is people like this guy and Lars that metal gets a bad name.
Lars?!? Don't mistake confidence for being snobby. Lars is the key to Metallica's sound, perfect partner to Het, great drummmer. See, he's Danish...

Lars is a horrible drummer, an arrogant Idiot, and at the same time a disgrace to all danish metallers and musicians in general.

As a life long megadeth fan, the "news" that Dave is an ***** really isn't news at all. Dave made some accusations about Jeff so he has the right to defend himself clearly. But to say that Dave fired him because "he feared I was going to take over the band" is lol hilarious! Nobody would know who Young was if it weren't for Megadeth.

first off, you shouldn't write about a person if you can't even spell his name. second, Alex was co-founder of Testament, and was in Testament in 1990 where RIP was released, so he can not possibly have auditioned for megadeth. what idiot would leave his own signed band with two critically acclaimed albums behind them and a growing fanbase to play in another band? Not Alex Skolnick.

Honestly, it takes a certain kind of idiot/fanboy to take everything Dave has ever said for face value just because he wrote some awesome music. He's always seemed like he's full of shit, and it's about time Jeff Young said something. I've been seeing him get trashed in interviews for YEARS.

Dave has not changed but obviously makes guitars cry.! Jeff needs to suck it up.(I'm sure Dave's left that in the past. I like Metallica, they should give i up though, and Suicide Silence is awesome! Yeah, hate on that!

Lars is a horrible drummer, an arrogant Idiot, and at the same time a disgrace to all danish metallers and musicians in general.

Looks like someone's been worshipping at Mustaine's 'altar of the crack pipe' lol...Lars isn't the greatest but to say he's 'horrible' is ignorant, but then again you probably think 'good' drumming is constant double-bass kicking going throughout every second of every song instead of doing the fundamental task like making a solid and catchy beat...which Lars does well, if he were 'horrible', you honestly think Metallica would have gone as far as they have? LAY OFF THE DOPE.

Asterix_13 wrote : Jeff Young is absolutely nothing without the words "ex-Megadeth" next to his name.

It is truthful, but don't you think it helped Dave a lot that he was an "ex-Metallica" member? Don't get me wrong Dave Mustaine is an amazing guitarist and song writer. With Metallica's hype then, I'm sure it did help Dave out. Nobody would be anybody without their connections so thus a true statement you say, but it also applys to everyone else.

Heminator89 wrote:
The funny thing is that half of the people haven't even read the entire interview or don't know the back story behind this. People are thinking that Young is attacking Dave just out of the blue.

maidenfan15 wrote:
melowar wrote:Nobody would know who Young was if it weren't for Megadeth.
This is pretty much what it boils down to. Jeff got his 15 minutes of fame in the 80's and now he wants some more by making controversy.

There's so many examples here of what Heminator said.
Please people. We all know that ignorance can be sweet, but for f***'s sake find out what's actually going on here, and stop building walls with ignorant comments to protect your ginger god. I know that for some of you it's hard to see beyond the fanboyism that the whole point behind what Jeff is saying is to just disprove Dave's (pretty ridiculous) claims. Most of the off-topic stuff is also rooted in this; to show what kind of a person Dave is; to show that he's been a professional bullshitter for decades.
WE'RE NOT really talking about music or skill or musicianship or fame or anything like that here, so don't drag that shit into this - it's irrelevant.
TL;DR: This is about someone calling out someone else's bullshit.

Looks like someone's been worshipping at Mustaine's 'altar of the crack pipe' lol...Lars isn't the greatest but to say he's 'horrible' is ignorant, but then again you probably think 'good' drumming is constant double-bass kicking going throughout every second of every song instead of doing the fundamental task like making a solid and catchy beat...which Lars does well, if he were 'horrible', you honestly think Metallica would have gone as far as they have? LAY OFF THE DOPE.

Do you miss the irony in calling someone ignorant when you follow it up with a blatantly retarded generalization about the kind of drumming someone might like because they disagree with you?

melowar wrote:
As a life long megadeth fan, the "news" that Dave is an ***** really isn't news at all. Dave made some accusations about Jeff so he has the right to defend himself clearly. But to say that Dave fired him because "he feared I was going to take over the band" is lol hilarious! Nobody would know who Young was if it weren't for Megadeth.

Where does he say that "Dave fired him" because he feared he was gonna take over the band? Because when I interviewed Jeff Young, he said "Dave was paranoid that I was gonna take over his band". Also, Young went on to say he left the band because Mustaine reneged on a three-way partnership. Did you actually properly read the interview, or just skim through bits?

Sanitarium91 wrote:
I respect Dave's music, but there simply isn't a point in denying that he's a total douche.

Actually, I've met Dave three times in the past two years, and he's a really good guy. He even gave me a short guitar lesson one time I met him and let me have a few of his personal picks. Maybe in the past Dave was a jerk, but weren't you different in the past too?

Probz the most interesting interview I've seen on this site, "douche canoe" had me laughing for a while haha
If Dave has changed all that much like a lot of ppl on here say, why was he talking shit about Jeff while he was in Australia only a few months ago? I don't blame Jeff at all for saying what he has said, the whole "thats just my voice with an effect on it" thing would've pissed me off to. Not to mention being called a heroin junkie by one of the biggest train wrecks in the history of music.
I don't have to deal with Dave's shit so I can just enjoy the music, but i definitely feel for all the poor people he has screwed over the years.

I understand wanting to defend yourself, but what ever happened to taking the high road? This all went down in the late 80's, but you'd think it happened last month because of the way this guy's talking. Him and dave mustaine are both dicks.

i was at that Oakland show. It was at the Kaiser auditorium. Dave was wasted. I always tell people how he was so ****ed up, Junior had to come over an lean on Dave, so he wouldn't fall down. Drunken ramblings galore. I like Dio, but i was disappointed that evening.

Did the interview really go over like that? Seriously who talks so long-windedly like that? Either Jeff needs to see a speech/public speaking coach or the guy who conducted this interview is a total hack at writing.

Wakisazhi wrote:
Did the interview really go over like that? Seriously who talks so long-windedly like that? Either Jeff needs to see a speech/public speaking coach or the guy who conducted this interview is a total hack at writing.

For the record, I'm not "a total hack". Remind me - how many interviews have you conducted in your time? How much have you contributed to this website? Have you stayed up in the early hours of the morning to transcribe an interview in full, as opposed to cherry-picking select parts of it? Have you actually, where possible, presented longer interviews because you want the readers to something to sink their teeth into as opposed to something which can be read in like five minutes?
When you've done some interviews, give me a shout, but until then shut the **** up mouthing me off.

Sanitarium91 wrote:
FearOfTheDuck wrote:
Who cares what this washed up musician thinks and says.
Dave may have been a twat, but he can write amazing albums in his sleep.
WHAT I'M SURE YOU MEANT TO SAY WAS:
FearOfTheDuck wrote:
Who cares what this (unknown and therefore) washed up musician thinks and says.
Dave may have been a twat, but I like the way his **** tastes.
Seriously though, Mustaine hasn't made a great album in ages. Sure, Endgame was good and all, but I wouldn't go and say it was great, no way. It was pretty damn cheesy and a huge part of it was just mindless ego wanking (the ridiculous soloing). There were some cool solos, sure, but they've totally missed the point of a solo. It's to serve the song.

Unfortunately due to your username some dumbasses are missing the point of your comment. Ignore the username and just read what he's saying, douche canoes. It's actually pretty wise and well thought out.

reason84 wrote:
Lars is a horrible drummer, an arrogant Idiot, and at the same time a disgrace to all danish metallers and musicians in general.
Looks like someone's been worshipping at Mustaine's 'altar of the crack pipe' lol...Lars isn't the greatest but to say he's 'horrible' is ignorant, but then again you probably think 'good' drumming is constant double-bass kicking going throughout every second of every song instead of doing the fundamental task like making a solid and catchy beat...which Lars does well, if he were 'horrible', you honestly think Metallica would have gone as far as they have? LAY OFF THE DOPE.

commercial success does not, i repeat does NOT equal technical prowess. Lars is a technically bad drummer, and is incredibly arrogant, which has been proven numerous times. and for the record, i listen to all kinds of music from technical death metal to country, and i know a good drummer when i hear him. Lars is not a good drummer. lars doesn't makle catchy beats, he just makes beats. i could play ten different Lars Ulrich rhythms and i bet you wouldn't be able to recognize three of them.

Jeff Young, legend.
Reading the comments, you really get a feeling that people can't accept the truth. Jeff Young is not a nobody, he was a legitimate member of Megadeth. That puts him in a better position to comment on Megadeth than ANYBODY on this comment board. This was a brilliant interview, and just the kind of thing ex-members of the band and other bands need to say to put David Mudstaine and his whiny fans in their place.
Not only is Mustaine one of the most patronising people on the planet (especially now with the whole 'I Love Jesus, God Is Love' shtick), Mustaine's just as ****ing paranoid as he was when he was freebasing, accepting all the Alex Jones conspiracy bullshine that most people are embarassed to be associated with.
Save yourself some trouble, listen to Slayer.

megadominatrix wrote:
Surprise! Mustaine's 'mind-slaves' are alerady on the scene here. You guys are just plain pathetic. This is one of the most thoughtful and well spoken interviews I have ever read by a metal guitarist. Everything here reads true if you've followed Megadeth's career at all.
Every lead guitarist in Megadeth has been a virtuoso and Jeff is no exception. You try to slag of Jeff's playing but worship Mustaine who is one of the worst guitarists in metal.
Just watch him take a complete face dive on YouTube with Dream Theater when they cover Pantera's "Cemetery Gates!" Megaeth's music is cool at times but Dave Mustaine is a negative human and deserves all the bad karma that is just now catching up with him. period.

Megadeth2011 wrote:
Sanitarium91 wrote:
I respect Dave's music, but there simply isn't a point in denying that he's a total douche.
Actually, I've met Dave three times in the past two years, and he's a really good guy. He even gave me a short guitar lesson one time I met him and let me have a few of his personal picks. Maybe in the past Dave was a jerk, but weren't you different in the past too?

Perhaps you have, but can you honestly deny that Dave's recent egotistical claims make him seem like a nice guy? Does a nice guy go around saying that kind of stuff about other people? And are you sure that you saw who Mustaine really is by meeting him as a fan a few times? Musicians are supposed to treat their fans well, and in your case, he apparently did. So I guess that proves he's a good guy then, no? I'm not saying I believe the guys who sent Jeff emails about Mustaine's behaviour against fans, but Mustaine did close an immensely long running Megadeth forum because he wasn't being praised anymore. That doesn't make him seem like a very honest and nice guy if you ask me.
I admit, I don't personally know Mustaine, and can't therefore say what kind of a person he is. I'm just saying that despite him saying he's become a new person and all, I still think he's Dave Mustaine. He may be a nicer, watered-down version of Dave Mustaine now, but IMO he's still, in his very core, a ginger douche.

Do you miss the irony in calling someone ignorant when you follow it up with a blatantly retarded generalization about the kind of drumming someone might like because they disagree with you?

No...but you obviously miss the irony of your own comment of trying to call out a person who disagrees with someone, yet by simply doing that, you yourself are also disagreeing with someone as well. Nice try though

Man that was the longest read of my life...
So what did dave mustaine say about chris broderick? I don't think ANYONE can say a bad word about the guy. Just like no one can say anything about Marty Friedman

wut's jeff young got against alcohol and weed? i can get how cocaine would distract u from playing sometimes, but i would say that in check, weed and alcohol enhance your playing and is something that u won't get addicted to (in those restraint quantities)

blommen wrote:
reason84 wrote:
Lars is a horrible drummer, an arrogant Idiot, and at the same time a disgrace to all danish metallers and musicians in general.
Looks like someone's been worshipping at Mustaine's 'altar of the crack pipe' lol...Lars isn't the greatest but to say he's 'horrible' is ignorant, but then again you probably think 'good' drumming is constant double-bass kicking going throughout every second of every song instead of doing the fundamental task like making a solid and catchy beat...which Lars does well, if he were 'horrible', you honestly think Metallica would have gone as far as they have? LAY OFF THE DOPE.
commercial success does not, i repeat does NOT equal technical prowess. Lars is a technically bad drummer, and is incredibly arrogant, which has been proven numerous times. and for the record, i listen to all kinds of music from technical death metal to country, and i know a good drummer when i hear him. Lars is not a good drummer. lars doesn't makle catchy beats, he just makes beats. i could play ten different Lars Ulrich rhythms and i bet you wouldn't be able to recognize three of them.

Yeah... to me, Lars is an ok drummer who happened to get in a band with guys doing something great. And yeah the stories about him? tsk tsk... i heard Jim Breuer tell a story about him and the impressions he did were hilarious. Btw, my 2 cents is, Jeff is probably telling the truth about some of the things Dave did. But at the same time...dude ****ing get over it. People do messed up things some times. Dave seems like a decent guy these days and he's still rocking the metal flag high! People saying he's a shitty guitarist, post a video of yourself playing holy wars or hangar 18. then talk some shit

I got halfway down before I stopped reading the comments, but the vibe I got from the majority of them was that Jeff is a big of baby as mustaine is and he's jealous. I don't listen to Megadeth so I can't comment on whose the better player, but if someone is gonna call me out, Im gonna ****in defend myself and my position. Not defending yourself just cements the others opinion and it's taken as truth. The guy even said, read the lawsuit, Mustaine cancelled tours. How can you sit there and harrang a guy who's offering a way to verify his story? You people are morons. I swear to god.
I don't see fans lying about Mustaine being a faggot to them, and Im gonna say if it were me? I'd be trashing mustaine, speaking for the fans who can't make big publicity with it. This was never about who was the bigger person, it was about the truth, and sometimes its an ugly battle. But the person who made the comment of Mustaine being like Axl. Completely true, and that should be evidence enough not to believe a ****ing word that comes out of Daves mouth.

i didnt really read all of the comments but, i think Jeff's right, Dave can be really cool sometimes, i guess in this interview jeffs just talking about the times when dave was a total prick.
Metallica FTW
Megadeth FTW
hahaha
PD dave is pretty good at guitar, not the best, not the worst

blommen wrote:
reason84 wrote:
Lars is a horrible drummer, an arrogant Idiot, and at the same time a disgrace to all danish metallers and musicians in general.
Looks like someone's been worshipping at Mustaine's 'altar of the crack pipe' lol...Lars isn't the greatest but to say he's 'horrible' is ignorant, but then again you probably think 'good' drumming is constant double-bass kicking going throughout every second of every song instead of doing the fundamental task like making a solid and catchy beat...which Lars does well, if he were 'horrible', you honestly think Metallica would have gone as far as they have? LAY OFF THE DOPE.
commercial success does not, i repeat does NOT equal technical prowess. Lars is a technically bad drummer, and is incredibly arrogant, which has been proven numerous times. and for the record, i listen to all kinds of music from technical death metal to country, and i know a good drummer when i hear him. Lars is not a good drummer. lars doesn't makle catchy beats, he just makes beats. i could play ten different Lars Ulrich rhythms and i bet you wouldn't be able to recognize three of them.

Not true. I could easily distinguish between 10 different Lars Ulrich drum beats.

shamokk wrote:
wut's jeff young got against alcohol and weed? i can get how cocaine would distract u from playing sometimes, but i would say that in check, weed and alcohol enhance your playing and is something that u won't get addicted to (in those restraint quantities)

webbtje wrote:
fm20000 wrote:
Jeff Young seriously needs to just shut up. What has he done since he has been kicked out of Megadeth? NOTHING.
You mean apart from all that music he's written.
Then all of the sudden 20 YEARS LATER he decides to come out and say crap about Dave?
Mainly because Mustaine, as ever, was being nasty about Young, twenty years after he'd fired Young for no real reason.
Where was all this when people cared? NOBODY CARES WHAT YOU SAY JEFF!
You clearly do, considering how worked up you are about it all.
Your
*you're
a washed up piece of crap guitarist
Have you ever even heard his post-Megadeth playing?
that has done nothing for 20 years
Apart from the music he's written and performed...
and you decide to badmouth the one man who made people know who you are? Really just shut the hell up.
This is really quite funny given that you're defending Mustaine, who's made a career out of slagging off past bandmembers and making himself out to be a deity in everything he has ever been involved in.

Breakingpoint56 wrote:
I got halfway down before I stopped reading the comments, but the vibe I got from the majority of them was that Jeff is a big of baby as mustaine is and he's jealous. I don't listen to Megadeth so I can't comment on whose the better player, but if someone is gonna call me out, Im gonna ****in defend myself and my position.

Mustaine has been talking shit on Jeff for a long time, and Jeff never seemed to give a damn until his album came out. Dave talks shit on everyone, that's his douchebag attitude towards people, but responding to his childishness with more childishness makes yourself look like just as much of an ass.
Young wants some free publicity for his new album, and sees Mustaine as an easy target. He's done nothing since leaving Megadeth

what i noticed from here is that young is basing his idea of mustaine off of stuff he did 20 years ago. we all know mustaine was a dick back then. he himself aknowledged it. the part that really hurts his credibility for me is where the interviewer asks if he will read mustaines autobiography, and he says no. he doesnt seem to have any interest in finding out if dave has changed at all, which he obviously has.
also anybody who criticizes mustaine for not letting the metallica thing go is making a gigantic hippocrite of themselves by defending young here.

First I wanna thank mr. Gray for being as inquisitive as he was in this intrview. Second I would like to apologize for all the people who read half of the article and then tried to flame Jeff it's really sad that I had to quit reading comments because it was obviously full of people who hadn't read the article or any of your subsequent posts to the interview.
On another note Im inclined to believe most of this interview because of alot of the stuff I've heard as of late. Dave sounds like one of those people who is only sorry for gettin caught or pissing someone off that he didn't mean to.
You can also like more than one band people. Metallica is a great band, that in my opinion is better than Megadeth, but deth has one of my favourite metal intros of all time (Good Mourning/Black Friday.
And the crack pipe thing was just ****in funny.

I think we should give some credit to the interviewer who took this effort to put this in here. Man! I don't know how he suppressed his laughter during this interview when words like douche canoe were floating around.

shamokk wrote:
wut's jeff young got against alcohol and weed? i can get how cocaine would distract u from playing sometimes, but i would say that in check, weed and alcohol enhance your playing and is something that u won't get addicted to (in those restraint quantities)

Being intoxicated is said to enhance your creativity, but it definitely doesn't enhance your playing. Diminished control over your body won't make you faster or more accurate, just like it won't make you more alert while driving or steadier while walking. It's common sense.

it really doesn't matter if dave is the best guitarist in the world if he really acted like this. as far as im concerned you should treat people, espesially your bandmates, with respect and only after that can you be a great guitarist

Dynamight wrote:
Being intoxicated is said to enhance your creativity, but it definitely doesn't enhance your playing. Diminished control over your body won't make you faster or more accurate, just like it won't make you more alert while driving or steadier while walking. It's common sense.

True dat, but for someone who gets really nervous on stage it could prove to be'enhancing'. ;P

bmarlatt1685 :
First off, your debating abilities are profound. Nothing says I won the argument like a good ad hominem attack... Secondly, and I hate to be a prude about this... "u" is spelled "you".
I have yet to meet any musician and I have played with dozens who's musical abilities went through the roof toking on some weed and sucking back a 40. Far from it. The ones I've played with that were buzzed in just the slightest bit were easily distracted and at times I had to keep repeating to them what to play, but hey if playing music to you is all one big "sex drugs and rock 'n' roll" cliche, go for it.

I don't care for grammar-nazism when typing: if you understood that I was saying "you" when I typed "u", then I think it matters little that I was using incorrect grammar on a website where people in the last few comments have typed "espesially", "dat", and god forbid the emoticon which shouldn't even be part of our internet-speak ";P". So, it's cool, I guess you can argue against me by picking on my grammar if you feel as if that adds to the profundity of your argument. And yes, you are a prude- I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings again? But I'm sure I'm just attacking you personally just to make myself feel as if I won, like i give a shit about that; calling you a faggot obviously wasn't really part of my argument. I just thought that you deserved the name (and still do, you cockmonger), as your argument immediately attacked my statement without reading it closely (invoking the names of several guitarists that I idolize, and making it seem as if I was disrespecting them and their deaths). Your second argument rests on the same, tired point, that I postulate would not have been argued for had you read, as aforementioned, my first comment closely. Have you ever been on weed or alcohol and played guitar? It is glorious, and nothing makes you love the music more. Perhaps the musicians you play with aren't true to their dedication to the art (I wouldn't be surprised). Perhaps their distraction is indicative of their lack of commitment, as weed is said to have the effects of a "truth serum".

Dynamight :
Being intoxicated is said to enhance your creativity, but it definitely doesn't enhance your playing. Diminished control over your body won't make you faster or more accurate, just like it won't make you more alert while driving or steadier while walking. It's common sense.

Wouldn't you agree that part of playing is the creativity and emotion that one's music is imbued with? Just hitting notes and going fast says little about a guitarist, playing guitar isn't just about proficiency. Also since weed has a relaxing effect, it does help when one is uptight or, as Sanitarium91 mentioned, performing.

I love all the comments talking shit about Jeff as if he doesn't know anything about Dave despite actually being in Megadeth and knowing Dave personally during that time. Can all you Dave fanboys claim that privilege? Yeah, didn't think so

each story has 2 sides. And what Jeff says is his opinion but none the less an interesting look into His side of the story. The sad part of this is the story's of the fans and I do believe that fans should be treated properly, because they are the ones keeping you employed. Personally I will be going to see Megadeth soon, but I doubt I'd want to meet Dave Mustaine in person after hearing things like this.

http://www.fark.com featured this story a few days ago. One of the comments deserves to be seen in a more public way.
"As someone who knows Jeff Young, I'm getting a kick out of these replies...
Seriously, I worked for Jeff and his brother at the security outfit his parents created. My office was two doors down from Jeff's.
After his parents died, he could have sold off the company and focused on his career. But he didn't. Instead, him and his brother Jamie have invested cash, blood, sweat, and tears to keep everyone employed.
Regardless of his rock star life, you can tell a person's character of how they treat people around him. And when he's sitting in my office excited about the things we are doing and asking what we need to make it happen, he's just another good guy trying to do the right things for everybody.
He's shelved entire portions of his life to make sure we were all taken care of. When times got bad, he rejected takeover offers from other outfits and instead, came up with completely new ways to reinvigorate the business. He didn't need to do it for him. He did it for the business his parents created and nurtured and there's no way he was going to let it get screwed up.
My biggest problem with him is that as a local musician, I couldn't discuss music with him because I felt too inadequate for words - I'm not talented enough to be his guitar tech.
Dave Mustaine can eat a big bowl of dicks. He flew Jeff and the others he's thrown out over the years into the studio to help remix the hits album, treated them nice, and then threw them under the bus again.
There's a reason Metallica couldn't wait to throw the prick out. He's a world class idiot. The shiat that collects on Jeff's shoes has more class and integrity than Mustaine will ever have over his entire life."

Good Interview. In all honesty, people gotta get stuff like this off their chest, just because your not the frontman doesn't mean your not a person. I think there is alot of validity to what Jeff Young has to say. It's better to defend yourself when being bad-mouthed than to ignore it, as when it's coming from someone as popular as Dave Mustaine, it's likely people will believe it. I saw Megadeth at GIGANTOUR. They were decent, Dave is by no means a "Great" guitar player but they were entertaining. I did dislike his long winded speeches on stage though. But anyhow, well Said Mr. Young, Well Said.

blommen wrote:
reason84 wrote:
Lars is a horrible drummer, an arrogant Idiot, and at the same time a disgrace to all danish metallers and musicians in general.
Looks like someone's been worshipping at Mustaine's 'altar of the crack pipe' lol...Lars isn't the greatest but to say he's 'horrible' is ignorant, but then again you probably think 'good' drumming is constant double-bass kicking going throughout every second of every song instead of doing the fundamental task like making a solid and catchy beat...which Lars does well, if he were 'horrible', you honestly think Metallica would have gone as far as they have? LAY OFF THE DOPE.
commercial success does not, i repeat does NOT equal technical prowess. Lars is a technically bad drummer, and is incredibly arrogant, which has been proven numerous times. and for the record, i listen to all kinds of music from technical death metal to country, and i know a good drummer when i hear him. Lars is not a good drummer. lars doesn't makle catchy beats, he just makes beats. i could play ten different Lars Ulrich rhythms and i bet you wouldn't be able to recognize three of them.

Youre right on a few counts. Lars is an idiot but hes a lovable idiot. if youre a metallica fan, like me, youll love him anyway. His drumming, yall are right, isn't like pert or portnoy, but still if you play every drum rhythm hes done i can tell you what song but then again ive listened to every song around...i dont know 100000 times each. (exaggeration i know) but hes still a fun guy to be around.

PolishHedbanger wrote:
Well my assumptions are, with all my experience with liars and basic knowledge of psychology, is that he's talking out of anger and revenge, and in these situations honesty is rarely the case. The way he responds to some of the questions suggests that he knows what Dave said is true, but he's trying to arrange his answers in a such a way that makes him seem as if his only goal is to down talk Mustaine. But once again, no one can know for sure.

Besides the fact that he avoids almost every question, and then offers up some long-winded explanation as to why he is right and Mustaine is wrong when the interviewer presses him on it.
IMO this is gossip and shouldn't be on UG, but I know that a lot of UG's readers like 80's metal so it is relevant. I don't really care about the whole thing.

CorreyUGist wrote:
What's it all matter anyway? People have their days when they're asses & days when they're Gods. It's the cycle of musicians; look at the Beatles, Guns 'N' Roses, the Doors. Yeah, Mustaine is a good guitarist (if not, he still wouldn't be famous, correct?) & yes, he's said/done some pretty douche-bag things but just get over it. All these 'Deth fans are just bitching & complaining because somebody insulted their "hero." Oh well, wipe the tears up & move on w/ it.

william hung, very famous, very terrible.
on topic, i dont favor one opinion over the other, but mustaine has always seemed like an asshat. this guy gets all the credit in the world for giving his opinion on the matter, even though it could all be speculation. either man being a GREAT guitar play is all OPINION, all the idiots who think king dave is so amazing because hes in megadeth need to get out of the mainstream shitstorm. most people would say clapton is an amazing player, but i hate his music. commence flame

I have been a HUGE D.Mustaine/Megadeth fan since day one. And still am. But it's not a blind love. Mustaines actions over the years speak LOUDLY and there is a VERY GOOD reason why he has the reputation that he has! Nothing Jeff Young says, sounds like it could be un-true! His anwsers come across very articulated and sincere. In the end, those guys are the only ones that really know what is true and what isnt. Its not unlike any other messy divorce. But there is no need for us(the fans)to pick sides and cross lines. Fact is, somebody is lying and Daves history of being notoriously MEAN, doesnt favor him in this situation. The NEW christian Dave should come clean. Besides, Megadeth rules and lets leave this crap to them!

sleeler69 wrote:
But there is no need for us(the fans)to pick sides and cross lines. Fact is, somebody is lying and Daves history of being notoriously MEAN, doesnt favor him in this situation. The NEW christian Dave should come clean. Besides, Megadeth rules and lets leave this crap to them!

too true, Mr. Megadeth Incorporated should just confess to wrong-doings he did.. this is all childish events that could of been avoided.. how? i don't know. im not a megadeth fan.. well, not really. these whole events turn me off from artists usually, so my natural response is to forget about them and continue my life with this knowledge of them, but not buy their shit.

sleeler69 wrote:
I have been a HUGE D.Mustaine/Megadeth fan since day one. And still am. But it's not a blind love. Mustaines actions over the years speak LOUDLY and there is a VERY GOOD reason why he has the reputation that he has! Nothing Jeff Young says, sounds like it could be un-true! His anwsers come across very articulated and sincere. In the end, those guys are the only ones that really know what is true and what isnt. Its not unlike any other messy divorce. But there is no need for us(the fans)to pick sides and cross lines. Fact is, somebody is lying and Daves history of being notoriously MEAN, doesnt favor him in this situation. The NEW christian Dave should come clean. Besides, Megadeth rules and lets leave this crap to them!

Your NEW christian Dave started it in a 2009 interview. I like Megadeth, I like Mustaine's playing, I would ever go to a gig of them. But I would NEVER want to meet Mustaine in person. I don't believe some of what Young said but I think most of it is true. Why some ppl are complaining that Young should keep his mouth shut?? Because Mustaine gave him a one of a life chance to do something for the SFSGSW album?? If your father says you suck, wouldn't you answer?? I wouldn't care if it's my father I'll answer, you act like those women who get hit and suffer violence from their boyfriends yet they do nothing to stop them because is their boyfriend and they love them.

Chronologo wrote:
sleeler69 wrote:
I have been a HUGE D.Mustaine/Megadeth fan since day one. And still am. But it's not a blind love. Mustaines actions over the years speak LOUDLY and there is a VERY GOOD reason why he has the reputation that he has! Nothing Jeff Young says, sounds like it could be un-true! His anwsers come across very articulated and sincere. In the end, those guys are the only ones that really know what is true and what isnt. Its not unlike any other messy divorce. But there is no need for us(the fans)to pick sides and cross lines. Fact is, somebody is lying and Daves history of being notoriously MEAN, doesnt favor him in this situation. The NEW christian Dave should come clean. Besides, Megadeth rules and lets leave this crap to them!
Your NEW christian Dave started it in a 2009 interview. I like Megadeth, I like Mustaine's playing, I would ever go to a gig of them. But I would NEVER want to meet Mustaine in person. I don't believe some of what Young said but I think most of it is true. Why some ppl are complaining that Young should keep his mouth shut?? Because Mustaine gave him a one of a life chance to do something for the SFSGSW album?? If your father says you suck, wouldn't you answer?? I wouldn't care if it's my father I'll answer, you act like those women who get hit and suffer violence from their boyfriends yet they do nothing to stop them because is their boyfriend and they love them.

mustaines been like he is now since he reformed the band after his arm injury

haha, man I completely agree with you, Megadeth, to me is better than Metallica, but Mustaine is utterly desperate now to make more fans than metallica. it's really wrong to insult band members, good bands is all about chemistry, Dave doesn't understand that. And Dime rules! no doubt in that

megadominatrix wrote:
Surprise! Mustaine's 'mind-slaves' are alerady on the scene here. You guys are just plain pathetic. This is one of the most thoughtful and well spoken interviews I have ever read by a metal guitarist. Everything here reads true if you've followed Megadeth's career at all.
Every lead guitarist in Megadeth has been a virtuoso and Jeff is no exception. You try to slag of Jeff's playing but worship Mustaine who is one of the worst guitarists in metal.
Just watch him take a complete face dive on YouTube with Dream Theater when they cover Pantera's "Cemetery Gates!" Megaeth's music is cool at times but Dave Mustaine is a negative human and deserves all the bad karma that is just now catching up with him.
Dimebag is a METAL GOD! Mustaine is a METAL CLOWN... period.

NiCk_FuRy wrote:
I can see Mustaine being lots of things, but one I cannot.. a liar? Dave? no way..

Everyone lies, betch.
All I can say is, can we stop filling up UG with more Dave Mustaine related articles? all they usually are, are just things about how much he hates Lars, or how much he thinks he coulda made with a different band setup.
Remember kids, its not Megadeth, its Dave Mustaine + Guests.

Slaytan666 wrote:
Cookie_Dog wrote:
I really enjoy listening to music, and one of the bands whose music I enjoy is Megadeth.
HOLY CRAP!! Someone who can give an honest opinion without dragging it out or insulting someone! Most of you could take a lesson from this.

I tried to read through this but it's just such nonsense. To me it sounds like both of them were probably doing tons of heroin because they both seem to be in denial and this guy obviously has had his brain fried. Not that I really care, drugs and artistry seem to go hand in hand.
And these metal bands in general to me are all really ****ing lame (not their music), the way they change line ups so much is a joke. You can't change your lineup left and right and continue under the same name. Like if a guy dies or there is a big fall out and you drop one guy, you can keep the same name, but it's like these guys have a new line up every ****ing album and act like they're the same band that started together. Obviously this band works together purely for commercial reasons.

Mustaine ain't the first or last drug using ***** rockstar...hell, lots of them are.I guess now that everyone knows the sorbid details,noone can bitch about playing in Megadeth.From here on out any members who bitch shouldn't be given much sympathy,they know what they are getting into.Fact is he puts asses in seats and as long as he does that the music industry honchos will continue to let him do as he pleases and not give a flyin' fart about his whiny ex bandmates

"I don't know if that means that one of Dave's martial arts goons was standing there"
burst out laughing... wtf? i don't really know who to believe about all of this, dave is pretty sleazy, but so is this guy

Robert Gray wrote:
PolishHedbanger wrote:
Jeff Young is a dumb ass. He's really ignorant if you think about it. Dave Mustaine has changed and it shows in recent events. What's past is past, and drug abusers aren't always honest.
Dave Mustaine called Jeff Young a heroin user in a late 2009 interview in Australia, and blamed him for a tour being cancelled twenty years ago in that same interview, which you'd actually know if you had read the interview without commenting. A late 2009 interview - not ten years ago, not five years ago. Are you going to say "What's past is past" to Dave Mustaine as well?
I don't sound funny guys, but if you comment without reading the interview first - whichever interview it is - I feel you should all just f*** off somewhere else because I have no time for people commenting who are ignorant, and just defend a certain person because they're from their favourite band.
Read the interview first, then share your thoughts on what the person said - not vice versa. That's like saying an album is rubbish without listening to it in full.
I enjoy Metallica and Megadeth - how about that? I don't need to take sides, and slag off one or the other. I like Mustaine's playing, and Hammett's playing. I enjoy Maiden and Ozzy too, and don't feel the need to take sides there either. Can't anyone appreciate a single band's worth without saying something like "X is much shitter than Y - Y plays a 100 times better"?

+ 1,000. Exactly my thoughts. I really enjoyed reading the interviews. At least there are some reasonable people commenting in here, but as for the others, it is the internet - a breeding place for ignorance. Also for those saying that Jeff is 'doing this for publicity', Robert Gray (good interviewer) would have contacted him to get his thoughts on what Dave said about him RECENTLY. Of course he is going to stand up for himself against some 'douche canoe' (love it) slandering his name and his history.

Peace sells, but Jeff young's not buying! Oh we so rule. My god this interview and its comments section is filled with so many lulz it's quite hilarious actually. We need more stuff like this on ultimate guitar.

theres already alot of talk here, so I'll just add this... Dave Mustaine will go down in history as a liar, and a clown.
He lies about how much music he wrote for Metallica, He lies about the drugs he does... He even converted to Christianity so he lies about what he really believes in.
He is an UBER DOUCHE CANOE

anyone who thinks Dave isn't a prick is completely arrogant. why do you think he was kicked out of Metallica? He kicked James Hetfield's f*cking dog! Dave was always like this when he was younger.
Kids take note - drugs are bad, mkay?

not a big fan of jeff or dave(his attitude not playing) but like megadeath.
jeffs guitar solo in darkest hour kind of sucks,
too fast and the notes are garbled it sounds like vernon reid on a bad hair day. no clarity and kind of anoying. Marty was the bands best then Poland
Then again what do I know

Kyle Crabbs wrote:
I think its a shitstorm on both sides that just seems to get blown up, and it seems that you would have to take the myspace stories with a grain of salt, but maybe thats just me. On another note when has Dave trashed Chris Broderick's playing?

Dave admits that he didn't like something Chris wanted to do with his trem on Endgame. However other then that he hasn't
I think there's a lot of bullshit on both sides to be honest and I reckon they are both as bad as each other

rockfreak611 wrote:
anyone who thinks Dave isn't a prick is completely arrogant. why do you think he was kicked out of Metallica? He kicked James Hetfield's f*cking dog! Dave was always like this when he was younger.
Kids take note - drugs are bad, mkay?

Actually mate if you look into you'll discover that it was actually James who kicked Dave's dog. People like you are idiots man. I like Dave now, no question that back in the day he was a prick, but he receives a lot of bollocks for things he doesn't deserve. However if this is true then fair enough for Jeff having a go.

The media is always trying to piss off DAVE so they get something to write about. And ever since Dave has mellowed down its becoming harder for them to do that.. So now they come up with an interview of Jeff Young saying all kinds of stuff against Dave. UG u can forget abt it...Mustaine has got better things to do than to discuss who talked to who's girlfriend 20 years back!

AC Burton wrote:
Robert Gray wrote:
AC Burton wrote:
Where is another Megadeth interview?I need another fixxxx
Saturday, with Dave Ellefson.
Can you do an interview with Mustain or Hetfield about the upcoming Big 4 tour?

Depending on what the editor says, maybe Mustaine. All the magazines want James Hetfield so that would be very difficult to arrange.

jeff young is an idiot who dont know how to apreciate people's help.he;'s ****er.
MEGADETH RULES.MUSTAINED got sober and in control and gained lots of respect,while sick jeff proved that he is not worth of anything

First, I am here defending my idol Dave Mustaine. That said, Dave WAS a considerable douche. Now to my points...
First, if you claim Dave is a shitty guitar player or has no skill you should just leave. Dave is responsible for writing roughly, what, 90% of all megadeth music?
Second, Jeff does "appear" to be speaking out of anger/jealously.
Third, the majority of Jeff's, slanderous, stories come from fanboy e-mails. Yes, fanboy is an objective claim. Are we supposed to believe everything we are mailed? If that's the case then I will never find love and should have did roughly 12 times by this point. If he believes these ridiculous, fan mail, stories Jeff's a guilible twat. On that note, are WE supposed to believe he didn't stretch truths about these emails or for that matter, that they even exist or existed?
Fourth (and I can understand a certain animosity on his part, but...), he continually tears into Dave as though he's been the same drug addict devil child, that he was in the 80's, when in fact he's become a much better person.
Fifth, those who hate on him or call him a fake for changing his ways and wanting to be a better person, **** you! There is no
validity in this argument. His change is not a ploy, diversion or tactic you dolts. It's called remorse, sincerity and good will, character traits you're clearly missing yourselves.
For the record, Megadeth is my favorite band, I thouroughly enjoy most Metallica (though Lars and James did something 10 times more disrespectful to their fans... Remember the napster LAWSUITS?) and I am not a Christian. I take everything at face value. Dave was a prick and I love how SO many of you refuse to get past that and continue to give him endless publicity. The statement "any publicity is good publicity" is true.
Finally, Dave may not solo circles around Brod, Poland, Young or Freidman, but he could fart better songs than these guys could write alone. Dave is a genious, love him or hate him, you NEED to give the red haired Jesus the cred he deserves.
Oh, and Jeff stating that he's the first to call Dave on his bullshit antics destroys any validity his claims carry. Where the **** has he been the last 20 years, under a coc.. er... Rock?
These are my views and opinions. Don't like 'em? Go cry ****ers!!!

Got a bit ahead of myself there. Awesome interview man. I always enjoy reading you interviews. Just for the record, I do believe Young was using this interview for publicity, I mean, he had to ask half way through who you were even reporting for.

Minivirus2 wrote:
Got a bit ahead of myself there. Awesome interview man. I always enjoy reading you interviews. Just for the record, I do believe Young was using this interview for publicity, I mean, he had to ask half way through who you were even reporting for.

Well if you believe that, then you 110% have the wrong beliefs given the facts I stated throughout in my comments - I had to chase him up for a whole month to get this interview pinned down. Furthermore, when you say "Young was using this interview for publicity", what do you think David Ellefson used the interview for I did with him? Or any interviews Dave Mustaine does? The sole purpose of interviews is so that your views gain public attention.
Also, I'd like to point out that in your rebuttal to the anti-Dave Mustaine commentators you make zero reference to the fact Dave Mustaine made disparaging comments about Jeff Young in a late 2009 video interview - that video was made a few months ago, and not years ago. You need to remember that irrespective of who is telling the truth, Dave Mustaine made the first blows.

wow... O.O\m/ that was a very interesting read. i gotta say first of all that dave mustaine is my hero n' his music is very important to me and changed my life at my first listen when i was 9 years old. his music gave me sumthing to live for and i will always be incredibly grateful. now having said that, dave mustaine has always been a bit difficult... he talks s*** about pretty much whatever he feels like talking s*** about at any given moment n it really surprises me that people cant just get over it. correct me if i'm wrong, but you dont see the other former megadeth members bitching about the past quite too this extent. youd be an idiot to think that dave didnt screw over everybody he's been with since metallica in some way or another. its common knowledge that he was an addict of everything and being an addict of anything can turn u into a major douche canoe... i think those addictions were caused by a lot of different things but im not trying to excuse what he's done. he is who he is and he's gonna continue to be that way cause... well, he's megadave :/ not that that makes it right, but it should be expected n u kinda have to except that. i feel kinda bad for jeff young cause i really like him as a musician, but a lot of this seems like total bs to me. i suppose some of it could be true like him playing his own solos n stuff pertaining to the music on SFSGSW, which is actually 1 of my favorite albums ever so i completely respect jeff for that... a lot of the other stuff seems to be fueled by jealousy n other personal issues though. dave does exaggerate things n i dont think u can take everything he says in interviews n the like so seriously as jeff has. i think he went a little too far with things in the interview. i read the other interview with ellefson n he claimed that he was the 1 that needed to cancel the tour so he could go to rehab or sumthing. theres to many conflicting stories n i'm not too sure who to believe. its like 6 in 1 half a dozen in the other no matter what. i kinda believe junior's standin up for mustaine on that tho... but none of it matters anymore. it seems like theyve grown up since those times n i think jeff should try doin the same IMO. so theres my 2 cents. a great interview mr. gray in any case ^-^\m/ this is the first ive read but i really enjoyed it, thanks! lookin forward to reading more from you

minivirus 2, im not going to quote you because your comment's so long but THANK YOU! Mustaine is amazing and is probably the most influential guitarist to thrash metal. Jeff young is good but he's just resentful that he didn't get as popular as mustaine so he's trashing him in the press

I dont doubt that what some of Jeff is saying is true, but he needs to realize that he was HIRED by Dave Mustaine to be in the band. What is this crap about "we had a three way partnership figured out between Dave, Jr, and me" That is crap, Mustaine writes all of the music and founded the band, it's obvious that he is going to make more money. If you can't get over that shut the f*ck up and stop wasting everyones time trying to say Mustaine screwed you out of money.
Another thing that bothers me about this article is how Jeff says he was "never into drugs" then says he smoked weed in high school and did some heroin with the guys. WTF kind of response is that.

Fellas, I commend some of you for sticking up for Mustaine, but you're doing so out of blindness. Mustaine is personally one of my biggest musical influences, but he's a prick, and if you think otherwise, you're just fooling yourself. He is the pathological liar Jeff says he is, and that's evident in the way his statements and quotes contradict themselves over and over.
I met Mustaine in Buffalo at the first Gigantour during a meet n' greet. I was looking forward to it for quite some time. I walked up casually, didn't make a big deal, said Hello, went to shake his hand, and he just stared down, signed my album cover, tossed it back over the table and looked away. When he did that, every single comment I've heard through the years about him being an ***** came true. Dave Mustaine is a dick. He was born one, he's one now, and he'll die a dick. If you love Megadeth, great. I still listen to it today, albeit a LOT less than I used to, but don't be blinded by Idol worship. He's not worth it.

Also, to bp1191....lots of people have dabbled here and there with drugs without becoming full-blown addicts, and I've personally known a few who still take the occasional hit of something once in a blue moon. Much like me when I have a drink once every 8 months. I just don't care that much to be an addict. Your comment is nonsense, so wake up.

First of my name is Mark Anthony,or it was when I was the singer in the Barry Levine managed version of Broken silence, we did demos with Michael Wagner, Jeff Young was the guitar player, a ruthless, self centered doosh.. AND He did blow with me in 86-87-88.. He used our demo to get an audition, and shit all over his friend Jay, Who was supposed to do the gig, with Jeff's help. Jeff would stoop your grandma if he got the chance. Funny, Jeff would sit in his room for days. we called it KRELL in those days, we got it for free, our band was backed by a major dope dealer. He would do a lot as for jeff, he would get maybe a half gram and snort it and stay up playing scales for freekin hours upon hours.. That was in 1986 87- and just a minute of 88 when he got the gig in Daves band, I lived in the house with jay and Jeff barry Levine and Barry Brandt from Angel. Lucky we are alive. I find it sad, that all Jeff has is an "I was in Megadeth bumper sticker" and a shit load of resentment. I am sure glad I never had to endure him on tour, That's coming from (me) a guy who was about as hard to deal with as they come, I am glad Dave's grown up. He is my friend. I also glad we are still alive.. God bless you Dave.